Official: FIFA allows 7 naturalized Malaysian players to return to competition

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has just posted an announcement from FIFA regarding the 7 naturalized players after CAS temporarily suspended their ban.

The official website of FAM recently published the announcement: "FIFA informs its affiliated members of the CAS decision.

Attached is the response from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) regarding the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) ruling to grant the suspension request for the sanctions imposed on seven national team players: Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.

FIFA has notified its affiliated members and the relevant national associations about the immediate suspension of the sanctions against these seven players at both domestic and continental levels."

Earlier on the evening of January 26, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) approved the request to temporarily suspend the sanctions against 7 Malaysian national team players. This ruling means the 12-month ban imposed by FIFA on these seven naturalized Malaysian players is temporarily lifted, allowing them to continue their careers and participate in any football-related activities until a final decision on the appeal is made by CAS. According to FAM CEO Rob Friend, this is a common CAS procedure to safeguard temporary rights before the final verdict.

FIFA imposed the sanctions in September 2025, accusing FAM of using forged documents during the eligibility confirmation process for the group of 7 naturalized players. According to FIFA’s decision, the Malaysian Football Association was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (around 11.5 billion VND), while each player received a 12-month suspension and a fine of 2,000 Swiss francs.