Rodrigo Holgado is considering retirement after receiving a 12-month ban from FIFA.
Malaysian national team striker Rodrigo Holgado is considering early retirement at the age of 30 after receiving a one-year ban from FIFA due to irregularities in his naturalization application.
Rodrigo Holgado, the naturalized striker of the Malaysian national team, is facing a grim turning point in his professional career. After receiving a 12-month suspension from FIFA for his involvement in falsifying eligibility documents, the 30-year-old striker is reportedly seriously considering permanent retirement.
A heavy penalty and an uncertain future at the club.
Since the suspension took effect last September, Rodrigo Holgado has been unable to play in any official matches. The situation has worsened as his standing at his club, America de Cali (Colombia), has been severely affected. Recent reports indicate that the club has stopped paying the Malaysian striker his salary during his suspension.
Colombian football journalist Bombiro Quintero revealed shocking information on social media platform X: "Rodrigo Holgado is seriously considering retiring from professional football. Although he still has a contract with Club America, he is currently not receiving any income and his career is in serious doubt after the troubles with the Malaysian national team."
Systemic misconduct and its consequences for Malaysian football.
Holgado is one of seven players sanctioned by FIFA for violating Article 22 of the disciplinary rules. The group includes: Rodrigo Holgado, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel. Each individual must pay a fine of 2,000 CHF (approximately 10,000 RM) and is banned from playing globally for one year.
Not only the players, but the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) also suffered heavy consequences with a financial fine of 350,000 CHF (approximately 1.8 million RM). FIFA decided to annul the results of three international matches involving ineligible players, including the 1-1 draw with Cape Verde, the 2-1 win against Singapore, and the 1-0 win against Palestine. All of these matches were decided as 0-3 losses for Malaysia.
Top-level crisis and the risk of being taken over by the AFC.
The disciplinary decisions from FIFA not only disrupted the players' careers but also severely damaged the Malaysian national team's world ranking, ending their impressive run in 2025. Currently, the FAM has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland in hopes of reversing the situation.
Amidst mounting pressure, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has expressed its willingness to intervene. Accordingly, the AFC may temporarily take over FAM for a period of 3 to 9 months if the current Malaysian football leadership resigns en masse. This is seen as a necessary step to stabilize the management structure and help Malaysian football avoid further sanctions from the world football governing body.