KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has accepted Fifa’s decision rejecting its appeal over the documentation of seven Malaysian heritage players.

Acting FAM President Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi said they would write to Fifa to obtain full details and written reasons for the decision before taking the next step to submit an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

“This is the first time FAM is facing this type of situation, and the lawyers and our management are very shocked by this decision.

“However, FAM will continue to strongly champion the rights of our players and the interests of Malaysian football at the international level,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The seven heritage players are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel.

According to Fifa’s official website, the Appeals Committee stated that after analysing submissions and conducting a hearing, it decided to dismiss the appeals and uphold the sanctions imposed on FAM and the seven players.

As a result, FAM was ordered to pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (about RM1.8 million), while each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (about RM11,000) and suspended for 12 months from all football-related activities.

Earlier, Fifa had announced that FAM submitted falsified documents to certify the players’ eligibility to participate in the third-round qualifying match for the 2027 Asian Cup against Vietnam on June 10.

FAM later explained that a technical error had occurred in the document submission process for the seven players, which was carried out by an administrative staff member.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Secretary-General Datuk Seri Windsor John said the AFC’s disciplinary committee would only initiate a review once a final decision is received from Fifa or CAS.