Deportivo Alaves club recently traveled to Mallorca's home ground in round 7 of La Liga (September 27). This match did not have the participation of facundo Garces - the defender who started the first 6 rounds consecutively and played the full 90 minutes of each match.
This is the first time Garces have not appeared in the Alaves registration list this season. The reason comes from FIFA's latest penalty related to the player naturalization scandal of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Garces is one of seven players identified by FIFA as using invalid papers to play for Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. All have been suspended for 12 months.
Right before the match, Alaves club issued a notice confirming Garces' exclusion from the list due to FIFA's penalty. At the same time, the Spanish team affirmed their support for their player and hoped the incident would be clarified quickly.
Spanish media said Alaves were unhappy with FIFA's decision and were considering an appeal.
In addition to Garces, the group of players receiving penalties include Gabriel Arrocha, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.
The decision from FIFA has created a wave of backlash from the Football Federation of Malaysia. The case is currently being further considered by FIFA Football Tribunal.
