An Argentine news portal, which initially made an exposé against one of the seven Malaysian footballers’ “heritage” player status, has set its sights on another player sanctioned by the International Federation of Association Football’s (Fifa).
Last month, Capital De Noticias (CDN) made an exposé against Facundo Tomas Garces. Now, it has scrutinised Imanol Javier Machuca’s status.
Yesterday, CDN alleged that Machuca (above) also has no ancestral trail to Malaysia via his grandmother, Concepcion Agueda Alaniz.
"According to the birth certificate registered in the Civil Registry of the Province of Santa Fe, the grandmother of the Velez Sarsfield midfielder was born in the town of Roldan.
"It is worth remembering that the footballer himself had stated in an interview with the fan media outlet Sabado Velez, that his connection with Malaysia came through his grandmother and that this connection allowed him to play for the national team of that country," the report stated.
On Oct 30, CDN disputed Garces’ and the seven “heritage” players’ Malaysian ancestry claims.
The portal published birth records showing that Garces’ grandfather, Carlos Rogelio Fernandez, was not born in Penang as recorded by the National Registration Department (NRD).
In fact, Fernandez is a native of Santa Fe, a city in northeastern Argentina. The only detail that is accurate in NRD's record is Fernandez's name and birth date, but not the birth location.
The portal said that it obtained exclusive access to the said records.
Earlier on Aug 20, the New Straits Times reported that Garcés had said one of his “great-grandparents” was from Malaysia.
Later, Garcés reportedly clarified that his statement in an interview with the Spanish portal El Correo had been misreported, explaining that he had said “grandparents”, not “great-grandparents”.
“It was just a transcription error (El Correo interview). I am Malaysian from my grandparents' roots and I'm honoured to play for my country,” he said in an Instagram post.
Marriage records don't support M’sia's claim
Elaborating on Machuca, CDN stated that there may have been a mix-up or misunderstanding, possibly arising from an assumption that Machuca had Malaysian roots because his grandmother, Alaniz, may have married a Malaysian man.
However, even their marriage records fail to support this claim, leaving the alleged Malaysian ancestry unverified and unclear.
"On Aug 27, 1971, Concepcion Agueda Alaniz married Jorge Luis Saracho, a day labourer also born in Roldan, in the town of San Jeronimo Sur. Ultimately, there is no document linking Machuca to Malaysia.
"It's worth noting that, beyond the sanction, the players involved in the investigation can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
“However, everything seems to indicate that Fifa's suspicions are well-founded and that the fate of these seven footballers is sealed; or at least that of Garces and Machuca," CDN said.
Machuca goes home after Fifa ban
On Oct 11, NST reported that Machuca had returned to his home country following his sanction and suspension by Fifa.
The report, citing Argentine news outlet Sábado Vélez, which covers the team, said that Machuca will rejoin his club, Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield.
According to the report, the 25-year-old had flown to Malaysia in an attempt to resolve issues related to Fifa’s action.
“He’s remained positive about his situation after giving a good explanation and hopes Fifa will allow him to play again. We are now waiting for their decision,” Velez Sarsfield coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto was quoted as saying.
Machuca, however, will also not be eligible to play for Vélez Sarsfield until Fifa issues an official response regarding his appeal.
On Sept 26, Fifa imposed sanctions on the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Machuca, Garces and five other foreign-born players from Malaysia’s national squad, for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, concerning forgery and falsification.
Fifa said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to feature in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10.
It also determined that FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.9 million), while each of the seven players was also slapped with a 2,000 Swiss francs fine.
Apart from Machuca and Garces, the five others - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano - were also suspended 12 months from all football-related activities.
In the grounds of its ruling, Fifa revealed it had acquired the original birth documents of the players’ “Malaysian-born” grandparents, which contradicted the alleged doctored documents submitted by the Malaysian side.
Fifa rejects appeal
FAM had appealed against the ruling. However, on Nov 3, Fifa’s appeals committee rejected it.
The organisation also stated that FAM and the affected players have 10 days from the date of the announcement to request the written grounds of the decision, and 21 days to file a potential appeal before CAS.
Stunned by the rejection of its appeal, FAM announced that it would be taking the matter to CAS, the final arbiter in such disputes.
FAM also recently appointed former Chief Justice Raus Sharif to head an independent committee to investigate the issue, with the committee’s findings expected to be submitted to FAM within six weeks. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.