Malaysia Football Scandal: CAS Ruling Sparks Criticism

The Court of Arbitration for Sport partially upheld sanctions on seven footballers, including Deportivo Alaves' Facundo Garces, for playing for Malaysia using falsified documents. The Football Association of Malaysia was fined, though CAS eased player bans. FAM deems the ruling unfair and vows to investigate the administrative error.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued a ruling partially upholding sanctions on seven footballers involved in a scandal over falsified naturalization documents, sparking disappointment from Malaysia's football association.

Among those sanctioned is Deportivo Alaves' Facundo Garces, who, along with others, was initially banned by FIFA for a year after being found to have played for Malaysia using doctored paperwork in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam. Despite appealing to CAS, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) saw only a partial easing of sanctions, limited now to official matches, but the CHF 350,000 fine stands.

FAM faces criticism for its oversight failures but maintains that the players were unaware of the administrative mishap and legally obtained citizenship. As the association navigates the fallout, the Asian Football Confederation is also reviewing the situation, following the mass resignation of FAM's executive committee amid public outrage.

(With inputs from agencies.)