Recently, the General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) - Windsor Paul John said that the appeal of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) mainly aims to ask for a reduced sentence for naturalized players, not to reverse the entire FIFA ruling.
According to him, the appeal result at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) may lead to two different scenarios. If the player and FAM win the lawsuit, the suspension may be lifted immediately and the player is eligible to play for the club. Conversely, if defeated, CAS may maintain or extend the ban.
The AFC Secretary General also explained that the appeal's goal was to reduce the penalty, arguing that the player was not directly involved in the wrongdoing that FIFA accused.
Previously, CAS had agreed to temporarily suspend the 12-month ban from playing for 7 naturalized Malaysian players, including Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
According to information from AFC, FAM is unlikely to win the lawsuit in the case of forging citizenship documents. FIFA has opened an investigation and identified players who do not have blood ties or residence conditions as prescribed.
This agency also discovered that the documents submitted to verify playing status showed signs of forgery. FAM was fined, while the players were suspended from playing and fined financially.
FAM's appeal has been rejected at FIFA level and CAS is considered the last chance. The hearing scheduled for February 26 will decide the final outcome of the case.
