FIFA upholds 12-month ban, seven Malaysian players out of the running for international duty.
FIFA upheld the 12-month suspension and fine; the 5-year residency requirement makes the group of naturalized players ineligible to represent the Malaysian national team. FAM is considering appealing to the CAS.
FIFA upheld the 12-month suspension and fine, meaning the seven naturalized Malaysian players have virtually no chance of returning to the national team. Even after serving their disciplinary sentence, they still do not meet FIFA's international playing requirements due to the five-year residency requirement in Malaysia.
Why did the door close?
Sports lawyer Nik Erman Nik Roseli asserted that seven players, including Hector Hevel, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo, and Imanol Machuca, are ineligible to represent Malaysia, even after serving their suspensions.
He explained: "To play for Malaysia, a player must have lived here for at least five years, equivalent to 183 days each year during that period. This is clearly stipulated in Article 6, Paragraph 5 of the FIFA Regulations."
This means they have to go through the process again from the beginning: residing in Malaysia for five years before being eligible to play internationally. In this group, three players – Jon Irazabal, Joao Figueiredo, and Hector Hevel – currently play for Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), so meeting the residency requirement is somewhat easier in terms of geography and match schedules.
The names that were directly affected.
- Hector Hevel
- Gabriel Palmero
- Facundo Garcés
- Rodrigo Holgado
- Jon Irazabal
- Joao Figueiredo
- Imanol Machuca
Age: a major obstacle after a suspension.
When the suspension ends, the age of the group of players will be at a challenging point for top-level football, especially with the demanding international schedule.
| Player | Age at the end of the sentence |
|---|---|
| Rodrigo Holgado | 36 |
| Facundo Garcés | 32 |
| Imanol Machuca | 31 |
| Gabriel Palmero | 29 |
| Jon Irazabal | 34 |
| Joao Figueiredo | 35 |
| Hector Hevel | 35 |
The domestic market challenge and the ability to secure contracts.
Effendi Jagan Abdullah, the player's agent, believes the chances of them being signed by Super League clubs are low due to limited finances and high salaries. He said: “Most Malaysian clubs don’t have the resources to pay high salaries. Moreover, many of them are getting on in years and struggle to meet the intensity of international competition.”
In this context, maintaining a place in the domestic league to fulfill the five-year residency requirement becomes even more difficult. For the three players currently playing for JDT, staying could help meet the residency requirement, but the door to the national team still depends entirely on FIFA regulations.
Sentencing and appeal process
FIFA has rejected the appeal of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), upholding the 12-month suspension and a 2,000 Swiss franc fine for each player. FAM was fined a total of 350,000 Swiss francs for violating player eligibility regulations.
According to the latest announcement, FAM is awaiting a detailed explanation from FIFA before deciding whether to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
A European perspective
At the club level, Deportivo Alaves president Alfonso Fernandez de Troconiz expressed his belief that center-back Facundo Garcés is innocent and hopes that the player will be exonerated following FIFA's punishment.
Long-term impact on the Malaysian national team
The ruling forces the Malaysian national team's personnel plans to shift towards players who fully meet FIFA requirements or a long-term plan for new naturalized citizens guaranteeing five years of residency. In the short term, domestic resources and the youth training system will play a crucial role in upcoming training camps.
