Malaysia’s football federation has lodged an appeal against FIFA’s decision to suspend seven national team players over an eligibility scandal, according to reports on Wednesday.
Last month, FIFA banned the foreign-born players for one year and fined the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) $440,000, alleging that the federation submitted false or doctored documents claiming the players had Malaysian ancestry. FAM has denied any deliberate wrongdoing.
FIFA’s investigation found that none of the seven players — who featured in Malaysia’s 4–0 victory over Vietnam in June’s Asian Cup qualifier — had a parent or grandparent born in Malaysia.
“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,” said FAM acting president Yusoff Mahadi, as quoted by the Bernama news agency.
Yusoff made the remarks on Tuesday during Malaysia’s 5–1 win over Laos in another Asian Cup qualifier.
FAM insists it acted in good faith, attributing the controversy to a “technical error.”
