Recently, FIFA unveiled detailed documents exposing the Malaysian Football Association (FAM)’s deception in the naturalization process of seven players. The documents also included statements from the implicated players regarding their origins.
Argentina’s Capital De Noticias highlighted unusual details: “In his statement to FIFA, Facundo Garces admitted that agent Federico Raspanti was the one who suggested he play for the Malaysian national team.
Raspanti claimed Garces had ‘Malaysian ancestry.’ Garces confirmed both his parents were born in Argentina and that he knew very little about his grandfather.
The Argentine-born defender testified that he sent his birth certificate, his father’s, and his grandfather’s to the agent without thoroughly checking them. When questioned about two conflicting documents (one stating his grandfather was born in Malaysia, the other in Santa Fe), Garces stated that verification was not his responsibility. He denied any involvement in the falsification and claimed he only became aware of the situation upon receiving notification of his penalty.
Most notably, not a single player contacted FAM after being sanctioned, despite all of them blaming FAM for ‘causing the errors’.
Meanwhile, Machuca’s testimony mirrored Garces’s, as he also stated that he had entrusted the agent to handle the process and did not check carefully.
Even more incredible were the testimonies of the remaining five players. For instance, Spanish player Gabriel Palmero blurted out: “My grandfather was born in Venezuela, and my grandmother was born in Spain. Oh no, I meant Malaysia, sorry.” He added that he was present when his father gave the documents to the agent and “wasn’t interested in checking.”
The third Argentine player, Rodrigo Holgado, stated that he believed his grandfather was born in Malaysia because his father told him so. Player Joao Figueiredo claimed his grandfather was from Brazil, and his grandmother from Malaysia. However, he confirmed his grandmother lives in Sao Paulo and he visits her annually. He said the agent offered him a chance to play for Malaysia after three months of playing for a club in that country.
The most striking case was Dutch player Hector Hevel. The submitted documents not only stated that Hevel’s grandfather was Malaysian but also claimed he had lived in Malaysia for 10 years. Hevel denied this, stating that he signed without reading, as instructed.”
Capital De Noticias suggested that the players could not be completely innocent in this matter. The Argentine newspaper further stated: “FIFA also informed the judicial authorities of Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia about the case due to the falsification of documents related to nationality, which ‘directly affects sports integrity and may lead to legal consequences’.
FAM and the seven naturalized players may appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, they face a greater risk, as CAS and FIFA could increase the penalties after further investigation. Temporarily, the seven naturalized players are suspended for one year, which could potentially end their careers.
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