The Court of Arbitration for Sport temporarily stopped FIFA-imposed suspensions allowing seven foreign-born players of Malaysia national soccer team to continue playing while their appeal was examined, the country’s soccer federation announced on Tuesday.
FIFA punished the Football Association of Malaysia 350,000 Swiss francs ($450,000) in September of last year for submitting false documents to naturalize the seven players, who were also fined and suspended for a year.
The players, who were from Argentina, Brazil, the Netherlands, and Spain, were granted naturalization in an apparent violation of FIFA regulations and featured in a 2027 Asian Cup qualifying match that Malaysia won over Vietnam.
After FIFA denied their appeal, the Malaysian federation eventually brought the dispute before the highest court in sport, which is located in Switzerland.
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CAS Temporarily Overrules FIFA’s Decision
According to the Independent, the Court of Arbitration for Sport granted the federation’s request for a stay of execution, allowing the seven players to continue taking part in all football-related activities until a final decision is made, the federation said in a statement on Tuesday.
Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Héctor Hevel are among the players who have played for the Harimau Malaya national team.
“This means that the 12-month suspension from all football activities imposed by FIFA on the seven players has been temporarily lifted,” the federation said in a statement.
“They are now allowed to continue their careers and participate in football-related activities until CAS makes a final ruling.”
It did not say when a final ruling is expected.
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