The Court of Arbitration for Sport has upheld a $450,000 fine and one-year player bans against the Malaysian Football Association for using forged documents to naturalize foreign talent.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by the Malaysian Football Association regarding the use of falsified documents to naturalize foreign players.
Judges confirmed a 350,000 Swiss francs ($450,000) fine and one-year bans for seven players.
The court determined the fraud was established, noting the players’ “complicit responsibility” in the scheme used to bolster the national team for Asian Cup qualifying.
While confirming the primary sanctions, CAS slightly eased the restrictions by allowing the affected athletes to participate in non-competitive football activities.
The panel stated that the “12-month ban from playing matches was a reasonable and proportionate sanction.”
Despite acknowledging “institutional shortcomings,” the Malaysian FA admitted it “did not dispute that it may bear responsibility” for the administrative violations that led to the international scandal.