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Fifa accuses Malaysia of falsifying players’ citizenships: ‘cheating, pure and simple’

Football’s world governing body says Malaysia forged documents to grant citizenship to seven foreign players

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Vietnam’s Chau Ngoc Quang (left) fights for the ball with Malaysia’s players during the Asian Cup qualifier match between Malaysia and Vietnam in Kuala Lumpur on June 10. Photo: AFP
Hadi Azmi
Fifa has launched a scathing rebuke of Malaysia, accusing the country of “cheating, pure and simple” by forging citizenship documents for seven footballers who played in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam, despite the national football association’s denials.
The scandal erupted late last month when the sport’s world governing body imposed fines and bans on the Football Association of Malaysia and the implicated players, alleging falsification of citizenship documents.

The seven players – Gabriel Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel – hail from Brazil, Argentina, Spain and the Netherlands. Under Fifa rules, “heritage players” may represent a country through ancestral ties.

Malaysia’s players pose for a team photo before the start of the Asian Cup qualifier match against Vietnam on June 10. Photo: AFP
Malaysia’s players pose for a team photo before the start of the Asian Cup qualifier match against Vietnam on June 10. Photo: AFP

But in a 19-page report issued on Monday, Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee cited official records from Spain, Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands showing that none of the players’ grandparents was born in Malaysia – directly contradicting records submitted by the Southeast Asian nation.

“Presenting fraudulent documentation with the purpose of gaining eligibility to play for a national team constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating, which cannot in any way be condoned,” Fifa said in the report.

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