Malaysia’s football federation has filed an appeal against FIFA’s decision to suspend seven of its national team players over an eligibility scandal.
Last month, FIFA banned the foreign-born players for one year and fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) $440,000, accusing the federation of submitting falsified documents claiming the players had Malaysian ancestry.
FAM denied any wrongdoing, insisting it never intentionally submitted false information.
According to FIFA’s investigation, none of the seven players — who featured in Malaysia’s 4-0 win over Vietnam in a June Asian Cup qualifier — had a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia, which is required to qualify for national team selection.
FAM’s acting president, Yusoff Mahadi, told Bernama news agency that the appeal process was being handled with care.
“This appeal process is like a second round for us, so we are making better, more thorough and detailed preparations. It was not done hastily or under pressure,” Yusoff said.
He made the remarks during Malaysia’s 5-1 victory over Laos in another Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
FAM maintained that the issue resulted from a “technical error” and not deliberate misconduct.
