FIFA overturns three Malaysia match results amid widening document forgery scandal
FIFA has overturned three Malaysia match results as 3–0 defeats after ruling ineligible players were fielded, further sanctioning FAM amid a widening document forgery scandal involving seven naturalised footballers.
- FIFA has overturned the results of three Malaysia international matches, ruling they were played with ineligible players.
- The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was fined and now faces further investigation over alleged document falsification.
- The decision deepens a scandal involving seven naturalised players and disputed ancestry documents.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: FIFA has overturned the results of three international matches played by Malaysia after determining that ineligible players were fielded, marking the latest disciplinary action in a widening document forgery scandal involving the national team.
The Football Association of Malaysia said on 17 December 2025 that friendly victories against Singapore and Palestine, and a draw against Cape Verde, had all been revised to 3–0 defeats following a FIFA disciplinary committee ruling.
All three matches were played on home soil. Malaysia drew 1–1 with Cape Verde on 29 May 2025, defeated Singapore 2–1 on 4 September 2025, and secured a 1–0 win over Palestine on 8 September 2025.
According to FAM’s statement, the decision followed a FIFA disciplinary committee meeting held on 12 December 2025, which found that the association had breached FIFA’s disciplinary code by fielding ineligible players.
In addition to overturning the results, the committee imposed a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to about US$12,500, on the national football association.
The ruling adds to penalties already imposed on FAM earlier this year.
In September, FIFA suspended seven foreign-born national team players for 12 months and fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs, or approximately US$438,200.
Those sanctions were linked to allegations that falsified documents had been used to establish the players’ eligibility through claimed Malaysian ancestry. FIFA rejected FAM’s appeal against that decision in November 2025.
Following the rejection, FAM lodged a further appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is currently pending.
In its latest statement, FAM said it would submit a written request to FIFA to obtain the full grounds of the disciplinary decision before “considering its next course of action”.
The three matches cited in the ruling involved several of the suspended players.
According to FIFA’s findings, Gabriel Felipe Arrocha played in the match against Cape Verde.
Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, and Jon Irazabal Iraurgui all featured in the match against Singapore, with Figueiredo scoring during the 2–1 win.
Meanwhile, Arrocha, Holgado, and Figueiredo played in the match against Palestine, where Figueiredo scored the only goal in Malaysia’s original 1–0 victory.
The seven players at the centre of the case are Argentina-born Garces, 26, Holgado, 30, and Imanol Javier Machuca, 25; Spain-born Arrocha, 23, and Iraurgui, 28; Dutch-born Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano, 29; and Brazil-born Figueiredo, 29.
All seven were granted Malaysian passports in March and June 2025. They also featured in Malaysia’s 4–0 victory over Vietnam in an Asian Cup qualifier on 10 June 2025, with two of them scoring one goal each.
In November 2025, FIFA released a 63-page report detailing its reasons for rejecting FAM’s appeal. The report concluded that forged or falsified documents had been submitted to support the players’ claims of Malaysian ancestry.
According to the report, birth certificates of the players’ grandparents were used to establish eligibility. These documents stated that the grandparents had been born in locations such as Penang, Melaka, Johor, and Sarawak.
FIFA concluded that the documents were not authentic and that their use breached FIFA regulations governing national team eligibility.
Beyond the overturned match results and fines, FIFA said it would launch a formal investigation into FAM’s internal operations to identify individuals responsible for the alleged falsification of documents.
The governing body’s intervention represents another setback for Malaysian football, which has faced sustained public criticism and reputational damage since the scandal emerged.
FAM disclosed on Tuesday that an independent investigation committee appointed by the association was unable to conclusively determine whether the documents submitted to FIFA were forged.
The committee cited investigative limitations and said it was also unable to identify those responsible for preparing or submitting the disputed documents.
According to local media reports, the committee has urged FAM to lodge a police report to allow for a full criminal investigation into the matter.
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