CAS partially upholds appeal by 7 heritage players

 The seven will be banned for 12 months beginning today, but only for official matches.

FAM and the seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa after the world football body said FAM had submitted falsified documents. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has partially upheld an appeal by seven Harimau Malaya heritage players over Fifa sanctions for falsifying naturalisation and eligibility documents.

In a statement, CAS said that the seven players shall receive a ban for 12 months, “but from official matches only and not from all football-related activities”.

“The ban from playing matches starts today, March 5, 2026, with credit for the period from Sept 25 until Jan 26 included, where the ban was effectively served.”

CAS also dismissed the appeal by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) over the fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million) imposed by Fifa.

FAM and the seven naturalised Malaysian footballers were penalised by Fifa after the world football body said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility before Malaysia’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10.

The seven players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel. - FMT

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