OFFICIAL: Malaysia has filed an appeal to FIFA

The appeal against the punishment of 7 unlawfully naturalized players has been formally lodged by the Football Association of Malaysia with FIFA.

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has formally submitted an appeal to FIFA regarding the documentation issues involving 7 naturalized players. Acting FAM president Datuk Yusoff Mahadi confirmed that the appeal was filed by the association’s legal team before the submission deadline on the morning of October 15 (Malaysia time).

He stated that the appeal was handled by external lawyers appointed by the Malaysian Football Association and expressed confidence that the documents submitted this time are much more organized and thorough.

"By submitting the appeal, it means we are hopeful for a positive outcome. The appointed lawyers are all foreign experts. The national team management is a professional body and naturally maintains relationships with many international lawyers knowledgeable about global football regulations.

"They have a network of experienced legal specialists who can assist us throughout the appeal process. This appeal can be seen as our second chance in this matter. Therefore, I believe our legal team has prepared this carefully and meticulously. There was no rush or pressure — we want to ensure the decision made is in our favor."

On October 6, FIFA released full details of the disciplinary ruling against FAM and the 7 unlawfully naturalized players — Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel — after uncovering irregularities in their initial registration documents.

According to the official report titled Notice of the grounds of the decision, FIFA’s disciplinary committee ruled that the sanctions were imposed due to violations of Article 22 of the Disciplinary Code, related to falsification and alteration of official documents.

Subsequently, FIFA fined FAM 350,000 CHF, while each player was fined 2,000 CHF and suspended from all football-related activities for 12 months. The Malaysian Football Association previously stated that administrative staff errors caused mistakes in the registration records.

However, since the appeal has only just been submitted, FIFA has not yet issued any decisions or amendments regarding the sanctions imposed on the national body and the players.