The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed sanctions on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano – for breaches of article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) concerning forgery and falsification.

The FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries to FIFA, and in doing so, it used doctored documentation to be able to field the above players.

All seven players played for Malaysia against Vietnam in the third round of qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on 10 June 2025, after which FIFA received a complaint regarding the eligibility of Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

Following regular proceedings, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee evaluated all evidence on file and has imposed the following sanctions:
The Football Association of Malaysia has been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 350,000 to FIFA.

The players Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano have each been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 2,000 to FIFA.

The aforementioned players have been further sanctioned with a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, effective from the date of notification of the decision.

Further, the matter of the players’ eligibility to play for the representative team of Malaysia has been referred by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to the FIFA Football Tribunal for consideration.

FAM and its players have been notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed sanctions on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and seven players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano – for breaches of article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) concerning forgery and falsification.

The FAM had submitted eligibility enquiries to FIFA, and in doing so, it used doctored documentation to be able to field the above players.

All seven players played for Malaysia against Vietnam in the third round of qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 on 10 June 2025, after which FIFA received a complaint regarding the eligibility of Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

Following regular proceedings, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee evaluated all evidence on file and has imposed the following sanctions:
The Football Association of Malaysia has been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 350,000 to FIFA.

The players Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomás Garcés, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, João Vitor Brandão Figueiredo, Jon Irazábal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano have each been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 2,000 to FIFA.

The aforementioned players have been further sanctioned with a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, effective from the date of notification of the decision.

Further, the matter of the players’ eligibility to play for the representative team of Malaysia has been referred by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee to the FIFA Football Tribunal for consideration.

FAM and its players have been notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

ART. 7 ACQUISITION OF A NEW NATIONALITY
1. Any player who refers to art. 5 par.1 to assume a new nationality and who has not played international football in accordance with art. 5 par. 3 shall be eligible to play for the representative teams of the new association only if he fulfils one of the following conditions:
a) He was born on the territory of the relevant association;
b) His biological mother or biological father was born on the territory of the relevant association;
c) His grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory of the relevant association;
d) He has lived on the territory of the relevant association:
i) for players that began living on the territory before the age of 10: at least three years;
ii) for players that began living on the territory between the age of 10 and 18: at least five years;
iii) for players that began living on the territory from the age of 18: at least five years.
2. A player who seeks to rely upon par. d ii) must:
a) demonstrate that the move to the territory of the association was not for the purpose of participating for its representative teams; and
b) submit, via the relevant association, a request for eligibility to the Players’ Status Committee.

Article 7 paragraphs 1 and 2
44. Article 7 paragraph 1 regulates the eligibility of a player to participate for the representative teams of an MA where they have:
44.1 acquired a new nationality during the course of their life (i.e. they were not automatically granted such nationality at birth); and
44.2. not been fielded by an MA in an “official competition” in any age category or any kind of football.
45. Besides holding the nationality of the territory or country of the MA concerned, a player who is subject to article 7 is eligible to participate for the representative teams of that MA only if they meet at least one of the “genuine link” conditions provided in article 7 paragraph 1 (a) to (d).
46. Article 7 paragraph 1 (a) to © reflect their equivalent provisions in article 6.
47. Article 7 paragraph 1 (d) was amended in the September 2020 reform to codify existing jurisprudence of the PSC. This jurisprudence aimed at preventing cases of excessive hardship, when it was evident that a minor had not relocated to a new country and acquired a new nationality with the sole intention of participating for the representative teams of the MA of that country.
48. The reference to “lived on the territory of the relevant association” is now defined by article 5 paragraphs 4 and 5. In this respect, for players who “began living on the territory”:
48.1 before the age of ten: the “defined period of time (in years)” is of at least three (3) years of “physical presence”. Given the youth of the player, it is presumed that their relocation was not for the sole intention of participating for the representative teams of an MA. The existence of a “genuine link” between the player and the territory of an MA remains protected, in that “official competition” commences at age-group level only from under 16s;
48.2 between the age of ten and 18: in accordance with the existing jurisprudence, the “defined period of time (in years)” is of at least five (5) years of “physical presence”. In addition:
COMMENTARY ON THE RULES GOVERNING ELIGIBILITY TO PLAY FOR REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS
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48.2.1 the player must demonstrate that the move to the territory of the MA was not for the purpose of participating for its representative teams; and
48.2.2 in order to prevent abuse, the relevant MA must submit a request for eligibility to the PSC on behalf of the player pursuant to the Procedural Rules, prior to the player being permitted to participate for its representative teams;
48.3 from the age of 18: the “defined period of time (in years)” is of at least five (5) years of “physical presence”. This remains unchanged since 2008.