The detailed admissions were contained in the 64-page ruling released by the FIFA Appeal Committee (FAC) on Nov. 18, following 12 days of hearings for the players in the U.S.

FAC rejected the defense of the players, who were sanctioned on Sept. 26 after FIFA’s investigation found original birth certificates proving their grandparents were born in Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands or Spain, not Malaysia as claimed.

Below is a summary of the key points from each player’s testimony before FAC, according to New Straits Times:

Gabriel Palmero

Initially claimed his grandmother was born in Spain, then corrected himself to Malaysia. “My grandfather was born in Venezuela and my grandmother in Spain… I mean Malaysia, sorry.”

Admitted he was present when his father handed family documents to his agent but said he “wasn’t even interested” in reviewing them.

Stated, “From what my family told me, she was born in Malaysia.”

Expressed confusion over discrepancies in the birth certificates, saying he relied on his agent and others.

Did not question his agent after learning about the falsified documents and sanctions, stressing he trusted the agent and was unaware of the process.

Facundo Garces

Approached by agent Federico Raspanti about playing for Malaysia based on a “supposed family connection.”

Acknowledged he knew little about his grandfather, having met him briefly; both his parents were born in Argentina.

Submitted birth certificates without reviewing them, relying “entirely on his agent’s instructions.”

Crucially, did not contact his agent or FAM after the sanction.

When asked about conflicting birth certificates for his grandfather (Argentina vs Malaysia), said “no,” adding it was “no me compete” (not my responsibility) to verify.

Emphasized trust in those around him and said he was unaware of any wrongdoing until the disciplinary action, attributing the issue to FAM errors.

Rodrigo Holgado

Saw playing for Malaysia as “it’s an opportunity for us to carrera” (the opportunity for my career).

Said his father was born in Argentina and believed his grandfather was born in Malaysia based on what his father told him.

Confirmed he had never visited Malaysia and had no family there.

Did not review the birth certificates his father sent at his agent’s request.

Did not contact his agent or FAM after the sanction, saying he trusted his agent, who had always managed his career.

Claimed he was unaware of any wrongdoing and had no direct contact with FAM until he arrived.

Imanol Machuca

Said his grandmother was “reportedly” born in Malaysia.

Admitted he received the proposal from his agent and sent documents without checking them, even though he knew his grandmother personally.

Did not question his agent about how a falsified birth certificate was used, saying he was unaware until the suspension.

Maintained that he sent the original documents and denied any falsification.

Malaysian striker of Argentine origin Imanol Machuca (number 11) plays in the 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on June 10, 2025. Photo by Malaysia NT

João Figueiredo

Said both his parents were Brazilian, his grandfather was from Brazil, and his grandmother was from Malaysia.

Noted that his grandmother lives in Sao Paulo and he sees her every year.

Said his agent presented the opportunity to play for Malaysia after he had played for a Malaysian club for three months.

Jon Irazabal

Said his grandfather was born in Malaysia.

Switched agencies for the opportunity to play for the Malaysian national team, dismissing his previous representative.

Hector Hevel

Claimed his grandfather was born in Malaysia.

Admitted he “never lived in Malaysia for 10 years,” despite signing a document stating otherwise – a document he signed without reading, following instructions.

Did not follow up with his agent after discovering a falsified birth certificate, saying he took no steps to check on his citizenship application or documents, trusted his agent, and focused on football.

Blame it on agents and FAM

The common point in the testimony of the seven players is that they did not review the documents when they gave them to their agents. They also did not ask their agents again after learning about the allegedly falsified documents and sanctions from FIFA. The players said they trusted their agents, did not know what happened, insisted they had submitted original documents and denied any involvement in the falsification, blaming the issue on FAM.

According to the players, the naturalization process starts from the beginning of 2025. However, during that time, they do not supervise or verify but leave it entirely to their agents and FAM.

After submitting the application, FAM carried out the remaining administrative steps. The player admitted to signing the citizenship application documents and appearing before the Malaysian authorities, but denied having read or understood the contents of the documents that they had signed.

In response to the reasoning of the players and FAM, FAC rejected all of them and upheld the disciplinary decision, which suspends the players from all football activities for a year and imposes a fine of 350,000 Swiss franc on FAM. FAC considered the two core issues to be the birthplace of the players’ grandparents and their eligibility to compete under FIFA regulations.

However, the plaintiffs were unable to prove it, and FAC also found no evidence that the players’ grandparents were born in Malaysia. FAM provided documents containing this information, so it was difficult to avoid the conclusion of fraud and forgery.

After the detailed decision was announced, FAM stated it will take its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It has 21 days to complete the procedure.