Malaysia Remains Secretive After Being Convicted of Forgery of National Teams

KUALA LUMPUR, TUESDAY — FIFA, the world football governing body, has released data regarding the grandparents of seven naturalized players of the Malaysian national football team. They do not have any descendants from that country. Nevertheless, the Football Association of Malaysia or FAM continues to keep the ancestry data of these seven players confidential from the public.

The alleged violation of Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code regarding document forgery and false statements was substantiated by FIFA through the release of their investigation results on Monday (6/10/2025). FIFA obtained credible evidence that the documents of the grandparents of the naturalized Malaysian players were not authentic.

The document sent by FAM to FIFA from March to early June stated that one of the players' grandparents was born in Malaysia. This was to meet the requirements for the transfer of players' federations to FIFA based on lineage, namely from a father/mother or grandparent.

FIFA had acknowledged the validity of their adaptation process, allowing the majority of the newly naturalized players to participate in the pre-2027 Asian Cup match against Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 10.

One day after the match won by Malaysia 4-0, FIFA received a report of alleged administrative errors committed by FAM. After conducting a three-month investigation, FIFA was able to find the original birth certificates of the grandparents of the seven naturalized Malaysian players. None of the players of Latin descent have any Malaysian blood.

Maria Belen Martin, the grandmother of Gabriel Palmero, was not born in Malacca, Malaysia, but in Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain. Carlos Rogelio Fernandez, the grandfather of Facundo Tomas Garces, was not born in Penang, Malaysia, but in Santa Fe de la Cruz, Argentina.

Furthermore, the grandfather of Rodrigo Julian Halgado was not born in George Town, Malaysia. Omar Eli Gardon is a man born in Buenos Aires, Malaysia. Meanwhile, Concepcion Agueda Alanis, the grandfather of Imanol Javier Hachuca, who was initially said to be born in Penang, actually hails from Argentina, specifically the city of Roldan.

Joao Figueiredo, who is registered as having a grandfather born in Johor, Malaysia, is in fact the grandson of Nair de Oliveira, who hails from Abre Campi, Brazil.

A similar situation also occurred with Jon Irazabal. His grandfather, Gregorio Irazabal y Lamiquiz, was not from Kuching, Malaysia, but was born in Viscaya, Spain.

Then, Hector Hevel's grandfather, namely Hendrik Jan Hevel, was born in Den Hah, Netherlands, instead of Malacca.

"The committee concluded in the investigation report that the original birth certificate contrasts with the documents submitted," reads the statement from FIFA's Judicial Body.

The report further stated, "players who use the document cannot play for the FAM team."

Referring to FIFA's decision, three players from Johor Darul Ta'zim, namely Figueiredo, Irazabal, and Hevel, are registered as foreign players in the squad list for the AFC Champions League Elite on the Malaysian Football Confederation (AFC) website. Figueiredo hails from Brazil, while Irazabal and Hevel are reported to hold Spanish and Dutch passports, respectively.

The players have not been playing for their clubs since last week due to the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. They are also not included in the squad list of the Malaysian national team for two pre-2027 Asian Cup matches against Laos this week. In addition, they have been fined 2,000 Swiss francs, which is approximately IDR 41.8 million.

FIFA has also penalized Malaysia with a hefty fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (Rp 7.32 billion). Malaysia's victory over Vietnam may be annulled. Furthermore, they face a significant chance of being declared the loser with a score of 0-3 due to the use of players in violation of regulations.

FAM has not been transparent from the beginning regarding the ancestry data of the seven naturalized players. Their transparency differs from that of PSSI, which consistently provides the public with data on the ancestry of diaspora players.

Although FIFA has mentioned the forgery of documents regarding the lineage of the naturalized players, FAM insists on not disclosing to the public the ancestry of those seven players.

FAM adheres to two rules of the Kingdom of Malaysia. The two regulations are the 1966 Passport Act and the 1972 Official Secrets Act.

"FAM is legally bound to maintain the confidentiality of the document. FAM will only disclose the document for the purposes of the case," reads the official statement from FAM, Tuesday (7/10/2025).

As a step of appeal, FAM has submitted an appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee. They also plan to utilize the Sports Arbitration Body should their appeal fail at the FIFA Committee.

"FAM will use all channels to fight this case," said FAM.