FIFA’s Appeal Committee has upheld sanctions against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) after confirming the organization admitted to altering player birth certificate data.The case, stemming from concerns over the eligibility of seven naturalized players for a June 2023 match against Vietnam, underscores the rigorous player eligibility standards enforced by international football’s governing body. Despite FAM’s appeal, the committee rejected claims that the data alterations were unintentional or didn’t warrant responsibility, reinforcing the initial penalties levied against both the association and the players involved.
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
FIFA has confirmed that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) admitted to altering data on the birth certificates of seven naturalized players.
The revelation came from FIFA’s Appeal Committee, which issued a response after FAM appealed a prior ruling regarding the falsification of player data. The committee’s decision not only rejected FAM’s appeal but also reinforced the sanctions against the association and the players involved.
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FIFA’s Appeal Committee stated the intentional data changes were made under pressure while awaiting official confirmation from the Malaysian government.
According to FIFA, FAM asserted that the alterations were unknown to the executive committee or Secretary-General, Datuk Noor Azman Rahman. FAM also maintained that the seven naturalized players were unaware their data had been modified.
Noor Azman’s admission regarding the deliberate data changes was also included in FIFA’s written decision.
“I acknowledge that administrative members of FAM handled and reformatted several copies of birth certificates and supporting documents while collecting complete eligibility files,” he stated.
“This included altered content within certificates provided by agents. These steps were administrative in nature and not intended to replace official copies or any official verification process,” Noor Azman explained in the FIFA ruling.
Despite admitting to the data changes, FAM appealed to FIFA, arguing that the alterations didn’t automatically hold the association responsible. They also claimed the changes weren’t part of a broader scheme to deceive the system.
FIFA issued sanctions to FAM and the seven players in late September 2023 after discovering falsified documents were used to qualify the players for Malaysia’s match against Vietnam on June 10th. This case highlights the strict eligibility rules governing international competition.
FIFA rules allow players to represent a nation if their parents or grandparents were born in that country. However, FIFA’s investigation revealed that while FAM submitted documents claiming the players’ grandparents were Malaysian, original records showed the grandparents were actually born in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
(nva/sry)
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