HERITAGE PLAYERS ISSUE: FORGERY ATTEMPTS STRIKE AT THE HEART OF FOOTBALL’S INTEGRITY - FIFA

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) --  The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) had underscored that the offences examined in the proceedings involving the Football Association of Malaysia and seven heritage players related to falsification of documents strike at the very foundation of football’s integrity. 

In the 63-page-long motivated decision released by the FIFA Appeal Committee today, they emphasised the reasoning that the eligibility of players to represent national teams is not only a necessary procedural requirement but also a fundamental principle that safeguards the credibility of international competitions and the trust of stakeholders worldwide. 

“Any attempt to forge documentation with the purpose of deceiving governing bodies and circumventing applicable regulations constitutes a grave breach of this principle. 

“Such conduct undermines the fairness of the game, erodes public confidence, and cannot, under any circumstances, be tolerated,” it said.

In light of the foregoing, the FIFA Appeal Committee concluded that there are no grounds to overturn the Appealed Decision and, accordingly, the appealants’ appeals are dismissed in their entirety. 

The FIFA Appeal Committee also informed that the costs of these proceedings shall be borne by the appellants in equal shares, in accordance with Article 49 FDC (FIFA Disciplinary Code)

On Nov 3, FIFA rejected appeals by FAM and seven naturalised players, namely Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Manchuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.

The FIFA Appeal Committee upheld the penalty imposed by the Disciplinary Committee of the governing body against FAM and the seven naturalised players for offences related to the falsification of documents under Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC).

Consequently, FAM was ordered to pay a fine of CHF350,000 (approximately RM1.8 million), while each player was fined CHF2,000 (about RM11,000), and the seven players were also suspended for 12 months from football-related activities.

-- BERNAMA