The Football Association of Malaysia has responded to the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding the case of seven of its naturalized players.
Quoted from the official website, Friday, FAM respects CAS's jurisdiction, but they are of the opinion that the punishment imposed appears disproportionate, especially when compared to similar cases previously decided by CAS.
FAM considers this decision very disappointing for the players because they were not involved in the administrative process and have no knowledge of administrative matters.
FAM is of the view that the seven players are legitimate Malaysian citizens who have been granted citizenship in accordance with Malaysian law.
In its ruling, CAS ruled that the players would only serve a 12-month ban from playing, not a ban from all football activities.
In its official statement, CAS stated that the offence of falsifying eligibility documents was still proven, but the punishment imposed was considered sufficient if it was only a 12-month ban from official matches.
Previously, in September last year, FIFA imposed a 12-month ban from all football activities on the seven players after discovering that they had falsified documents so they could represent Malaysia in the Asian Cup qualifying match against Vietnam in June last year.
