Argentine media sharply criticize the case of three Malaysian naturalized players

Argentine media, particularly ESPN, fiercely criticized FIFA's ruling to ban three Malaysian naturalized players with Argentine roots due to fraudulent documentation concerning their background.

Among Argentine media, ESPN stood out prominently, collectively denouncing FIFA’s final report that upheld severe sanctions against three Argentine-born players, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garcés, and Rodrigo Holgado, along with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for falsifying naturalization documents.

According to ESPN Argentina, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee rejected all appeals from the involved parties and confirmed a one-year suspension for seven Malaysian naturalized players, including the Argentine trio mentioned. The decision followed findings that their nationality, birth, and lineage documents were “systematically forged” to qualify for the Malaysian national team.

FIFA stated that FAM violated Article 22 of the Disciplinary Code by “forging and using illegal documents.” Specifically, Imanol Machuca’s file contained a birth certificate of his grandmother, Concepción Águeda Alaniz, altered to show birth in Penang, Malaysia, whereas she was actually born in Roldán, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. Similar manipulations were found in the cases of Facundo Garcés and Rodrigo Holgado, where information about their grandfathers was changed to falsely prove “Malaysian ancestry.”

FIFA described this behavior as “deliberate deception to meet international eligibility.” Besides the 12-month bans for the players, FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss francs (about 11.5 billion VND) and held “primarily responsible” for the entire incident. The involved players are suspended from all football activities until September 26, 2025.

The three players Machuca, Garcés, and Holgado currently play for Vélez Sarsfield (Argentina), Alavés (Spain), and América de Cali (Colombia) respectively. They have not made any statements since the sanctions were announced.

According to ESPN, this scandal has not only severely damaged Malaysian football’s reputation but also serves as a warning to federations rushing to naturalize players to strengthen their national teams.