7 footballers in Malaysia forgery scandal are ‘victims in this matter’: Union
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FIFA investigation showed none of the seven players had a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia, a requirement for selection to a national team.
PHOTO: MALAYSIA NT/FACEBOOK
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KUALA LUMPUR – Global footballers’ union FIFPro says that seven players embroiled in a Malaysian national team eligibility scandal are themselves victims and their 12-month bans “grossly disproportionate”.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after world governing body FIFA banned the players and fined FAM US$440,000 (S$570,900) in September for submitting false documents that said the foreign-born players had Malaysian ancestry
FIFA launched an investigation after receiving a complaint following Malaysia’s 4-0 win against Vietnam in June in an Asian Cup qualifier in which two of the seven players scored.
Its probe showed none of the footballers, Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca or Joao Figueiredo had a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia, a requirement for selection to a national team.
FIFPro on Dec 1 gave its full support to the seven players and said they were not to blame.
“The sanctions imposed on them – a 12-month ban from all football-related activities – are grossly disproportionate given the particular circumstances of the case,” it said in a statement.
“It is clear that the players are, in fact, victims in this matter.”
It added: “All steps were handled by institutions outside their control, yet they now face suspension from their clubs and the serious consequences that follow through no fault of their own.”
The FAM has denied any deliberate wrongdoing. In October, it suspended its secretary-general and formed an independent committee to investigate.
FIFA also said it will launch a formal investigation into FAM’s operations. Its findings had sparked uproar, with fans and lawmakers calling for action against FAM as well as the National Registration Department and Home Ministry.
The players claimed their grandparents were born in Malaysia, but FIFA was able to obtain birth certificates that had significant discrepancies with those submitted by FAM to show their Malaysian lineage.
“Players admitted at the hearing that they did not read any of the application documents submitted to the Malaysian government, including the part which concerned the declaration that they had lived for 10 years in Malaysia,” FIFA said.
FIFA described how one player, Arrocha, claimed: “My grandfather was born in Venezuela and my grandmother in Spain... I mean Malaysia, sorry,” while expressing confusion about discrepancies in birth certificates. AFP
