CAS Amends Sanctions For 7 Players In Malaysia Eligibility Case

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has partially upheld an appeal by seven footballers sanctioned for falsifying eligibility documents to represent Malaysia, reducing the scope of their suspensions while leaving in place a significant fine against the Football Association of Malaysia.

In a ruling issued in Lausanne on Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed that the players will serve a 12-month ban from official matches but will be permitted to take part in other football-related activities such as training with their clubs. The decision partially overturns earlier sanctions imposed by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), which had barred the players from all football activities during the suspension.

The seven players involved in the case are Facundo Tomás Garcés Rattaro, Rodrigo Julián Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano.

The case stems from events in 2025, when the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) approached the players and advised them that they could seek Malaysian citizenship and become eligible to play for the national team. The players subsequently underwent naturalisation and were issued Malaysian passports.

However, on 25 September 2025, FIFA’s disciplinary body concluded that both FAM and the players had breached the FIFA Disciplinary Code by submitting falsified documents during the naturalisation and eligibility process. Investigators found that the players had no genuine connection to Malaysia.

FIFA’s disciplinary ruling, later upheld by its appeals committee in November 2025, imposed a CHF 350,000 fine on FAM. Each of the seven players was also fined CHF 2,000 and handed a 12-month suspension from all football-related activities.

FAM and the players jointly appealed the decision to CAS in December 2025. While FAM acknowledged “institutional shortcomings” and accepted that it may bear responsibility for the violations, the association argued the players had only a limited role and had merely provided documents requested by the federation. It asked for the FIFA decision to be overturned and for the fine to be reduced to no more than CHF 50,000.

The players, meanwhile, sought to have the sanctions annulled entirely or reduced, maintaining they had not acted intentionally or negligently in the submission of the documents.

The appeals were heard by a CAS panel chaired by Danish arbitrator Lars Hilliger, alongside José Luis Andrade of Portugal and Massimo Coccia of Italy. A hearing took place at CAS headquarters in Lausanne on 26 February.

After reviewing the evidence, the panel concluded that the falsification of eligibility documents had been established and that a 12-month ban from official matches was “reasonable and proportionate” given the players’ level of responsibility. However, the arbitrators determined that the prohibition should apply only to matches and not to all football activities, allowing the players to continue training with their clubs during the suspension.

The bans officially took effect on 5 March 2026. CAS also credited the players for time already served between 25 September 2025 and 26 January 2026, when they were previously suspended.

The panel rejected FAM’s appeal, ruling that FIFA’s CHF 350,000 fine against the Malaysian federation was justified and proportionate.

CAS said its latest announcement represents an operative decision, with the full written award and detailed legal reasoning to be released at a later date.

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