FIFA has suspended seven Malaysia players for allegedly obtaining citizenship using falsified documents.
An investigation found the individuals claimed family roots in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands.
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Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel have each received 12-month bans and fines of 2,000 Swiss francs.
The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was fined 350,000 Swiss francs and plans to appeal the sanctions.
FIFA said the act “constitutes, pure and simple, a form of cheating,” adding it “erodes trust in the fairness of competitions.”
FAM responded by calling the issue an “administrative error” and insisted the players are “legitimate Malaysian citizens.”
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Malaysia’s sports minister Hannah Yeoh told BBC Sport the case had “tarnished the country’s image” and urged FAM to improve its processes.
Among those banned are La Liga defender Facundo Garces of Alaves and Gabriel Palmero of Unionistas de Salamanca.
Johor Darul Ta’zim trio Joao Figueiredo, Hector Hevel, and Jon Irazabal are also sidelined, leaving both club and country short ahead of AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Laos.
