The case of 7 Malaysian players illegally naturalized has taken a surprising turn

The World Professional Players' Association unexpectedly voiced support for the 7 Malaysian players who underwent unauthorized naturalization.

Recently, the World Professional Players' Association (FIFPro) officially demanded rights for the 7 Malaysian players who were illegally naturalized. The organization stated that the 12-month suspension imposed on these 7 players is excessively harsh and the fault does not entirely lie with the players themselves:

"FIFPro has taken note of the decision made by FIFA’s Appeals Committee regarding the eligibility requests of the 7 players to represent the Malaysian national team.

The sanctions applied to them — a 12-month ban from all football-related activities — are completely disproportionate given the specific circumstances of the case.

It is clear that the players are the real victims in this matter. The ruling itself confirms that they did not forge any documents to gain eligibility and clearly acknowledges that the documents they submitted were authentic. When at least seven players face similar situations, it is evident that any forged documents are not the result of individual actions.

The players also had no means to obtain binding confirmation from FIFA regarding their status, a procedure that is not even mandatory under current regulations. Therefore, holding them accountable for documents submitted by a national federation to FIFA, and seemingly requiring them to verify documents they neither issued nor submitted, is particularly concerning.

The 7 players in question followed the prescribed procedures: they submitted personal documents, appeared before Malaysian authorities, completed oath-taking procedures, received passports issued by the government, and awaited approval from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). Every step was handled by organizations beyond their control, yet now they face club suspensions and severe consequences, through no fault of their own."

The organization concluded: "FIFPro expresses full support for the players and trusts that the Court of Arbitration for Sport will overturn this injustice."

Previously, FIFA concluded that the 7 players — Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vítor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano — along with the Malaysian Football Association violated Article 22 of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code, related to forgery and falsification of documents to legitimize eligibility for Malaysia’s national team.

None of these players have a parent born in Malaysia as required by regulations, and the documents submitted to FIFA proving Malaysian origins differ from those thoroughly investigated later. Therefore, FIFPro’s assertion that these 7 players bear no fault in this matter is quite unexpected.

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