FIFPro Condemns Bans in Malaysia Eligibility Case

The 12 months bans handed on seven of the players in the national team eligibility scandal in Malaysia have been severely criticized by the global players union FIFPro, who claimed the penalty was grossly disproportionate and that those affected were victims of a systemic malfunction and not offenders of misconduct.

The case focuses on the Malaysian football federation (FAM) that provided the documents stating that a number of foreign players were capable of playing in the national team due to their Malaysian descent. Malaysia won a 4-0 match over Vietnam in June 2019 in a inquiry into a complaint by FIFA, where one of the implicated players scored twice. The governing body found that none of the players had the necessary parent or grandparent born in Malaysia and declared them ineligible, prohibiting the players to do any form of football within one year.

FAM too received a fine of $440,000 and has since filed an appeal on the ruling to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) on grounds that the players were in good faith and left the federation to check on this matter. On Monday, FIFPro also was able to express the same opinion, pointing out that the athletes, Hector Hevel, Jon Irazabal, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca and Joao Brandao Figueiredo, had no say in the administrative procedure.

The union noted that the national federations and institutions are the only ones to protect the eligibility standards. In the press release, FIFPro emphasized that the bans have far-reaching effects beyond the world of international football, and may have an impact on the contracts of clubs with the players who were not involved in any way.

The intervention of the union puts a strain on FIFA to reevaluate its disciplinary actions, and FIFPro wants the authorities to respond proportionally in case the athletes are not to blame. The result can lead to a precedent in new cases of eligibility in the future since global football is becoming more and more involved in migration and talent-identification policies.