Top sports field suspends FIFA’s ban on seven naturalized Malaysian players

Seven naturalized players from Malaysia’s national football team have been granted a temporary reprieve from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, ending their 12-month ban from all football-related activities, the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) said on Tuesday.

FIFA suspended the seven players for 12 months and fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs ($439,257) in September last year after finding that forged documentation had been used to allow the players to participate in an Asian Cup qualifying match against Vietnam.

FAM then referred the case to CAS after FIFA rejected the appeal. FIFA said it would launch a formal investigation into the association’s internal activities and notify authorities in five countries of possible criminal charges.

The players who received postponements were Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, ‌João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and ‌Héctor Hevel.

“This decision means that the 12-month suspension from all football activities imposed on the seven players by FIFA is temporarily suspended, and they will be allowed to continue their careers and participate in all football-related activities until a final decision is made on the appeal to CAS,” FAM said on its Facebook account.

Following the document falsification scandal, FIFA annulled the results of three matches involving Malaysia after ruling that it had used these ineligible players.

The scandal sparked criticism in Malaysia, with fans and several lawmakers calling for action against FAM and the government agencies responsible for granting citizenship to the players.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had vowed transparency in the domestic investigation into the alleged forgery, but stressed that the FAM would be allowed to defend itself.

Published on January 27, 2026