7 Malaysian players unlikely to be acquitted

Gabriel Palmero and six other Malaysian players are awaiting a verdict.

In Kuala Lumpur, attention is focused on the CAS decision concerning Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel.

Last September, FIFA handed down a 12-month ban to this group of players for using invalid documents during the process of applying to play for the Malaysian national team.

According to sports lawyer Nik Erman Nik Roseli, the CAS will consider all the arguments presented by the Football Association of Malaysia's (FAM) legal team during the hearing.

He stated: "I believe there is grounds for reducing the sentence because the players were not directly involved in the forgery. However, there are also reasons to maintain the sentence or even increase it. The players didn't really care about the filing process and were found to have given contradictory statements during the appeal process with FIFA."

The Football Association of Malaysia is awaiting the ruling from the CAS.

Last January, the CAS allowed a temporary suspension of the sentence, permitting the players to continue competing while awaiting a ruling. However, the lawyer emphasized that the suspension does not reflect the likelihood of winning the case. According to him, this is merely a measure to preserve the status quo, providing a preliminary basis for considering an appeal, and not a conclusion on the merits of the case.

Nik Erman noted that the turning point came when FAM admitted to altering documents during a hearing with FIFA. He praised their honesty but suggested that the decision may not have fully considered the legal consequences.

He raised a series of questions: Who made the edits, what was the record-keeping process like, and who or which department was responsible? According to him, Malaysian football needs to clarify these points before learning any lessons.

However, Nik Erman asserted that the current controversy does not mean the naturalization program should be halted. The important thing is to tighten governance and ensure transparency in the process to avoid repeating mistakes in the future.

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