Colombian Club To Axe Harimau Malaya S Argentine After Fifa Ban

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The future of Harimau Malaya’s striker, Rodrigo Julian Holgado is reportedly hanging by a thread, with his Colombian club, América de Cali, said to be considering letting him go.
Colombian sports journalist and renowned international football commentator Pipe Sierra, who covers high-profile player transfers, tweeted that the club, through its legal team, has begun proceedings to sever ties with the Argentine.
This follows the recent decision by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa) Appeals Committee, which rejected the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) appeal against sanctions imposed on its seven “heritage” players.
The seven included Holgado - who had been granted Malaysian citizenship allegedly on the basis of forged and falsified identification documents.
"#America through its lawyers, is advancing the process for the contract termination of Rodrigo Holgado (28), following the response of the Fifa appeal committee." Sierra tweeted.
Malaysiakini contacted the Colombia-based Sierra for further details, and was informed that the update had come from a source.
“His contract runs until December 2026, and the lawyers are seeking to terminate it early as the club has been affected by the sanction,” Sierra said when contacted.
Malaysiakini is not able to independently verify the report.
Series of damaging exposés
An Argentine news portal recently published two exposes, alleging that two of Holgado’s teammates, fellow “heritage” players Facundo Tomas Garces and Imanol Javier Machuca- do not, as claimed by the authorities, have grandparents who were born in Malaysia.
Capital De Noticias, on Oct 30, published documents tracing national football squad defender Garces's ancestry, casting doubt on Malaysia’s claim that all of its seven European-born naturalised players possessed genuine ancestral ties to the country, a claim used to justify their Malaysian citizenship.
ADSThe portal published birth records showing that Garces’ grandfather, Carlos Rogelio Fernandez, was not born in Penang as recorded by the National Registration Department (NRD), but is in fact a native of Santa Fe, a city in northeastern Argentina.
The only detail that is accurate in NRD's record is Fernandez's name and birth date, but not the birth location.
The portal said that it obtained exclusive access to the said records.
On Nov 5, the agency dropped another exposé, claiming that the Harimau Malaya's right and left-winger, Machuca, also has no ancestral trail to Malaysia via his grandmother, Concepcion Agueda Alaniz.
Imanol Javier Machuca"According to the birth certificate registered in the Civil Registry of the Province of Santa Fe, the grandmother of the Velez Sarsfield midfielder was born in the town of Roldan.
"It is worth remembering that the footballer himself had stated in an interview with the fan media outlet Sabado Velez, that his connection with Malaysia came through his grandmother and that this connection allowed him to play for the national team of that country," the report highlighted.
For context, Fifa only recognises heritage players with links to their grandparents.
Red card for FAM
On Sept 26, Fifa imposed sanctions on FAM, Machuca, Garces, Holgado and four other foreign-born players from Malaysia’s national squad, for breaches of Article 22 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code, concerning forgery and falsification.
Fifa said FAM had submitted falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to feature in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers against Vietnam on June 10.
It also determined that FAM must pay a fine of 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.9 million), while each of the seven players was also slapped with a 2,000 Swiss francs (RM10,500) fine.
Apart from Machuca, Garces and Holgado - the four others - Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano - were also suspended 12 months from all football-related activities.
In the grounds of its ruling, Fifa revealed it had acquired the original birth documents of the players’ “Malaysian-born” grandparents, which contradicted the alleged doctored documents submitted by the Malaysian side.
FAM had appealed against the ruling. However, on Nov 3, Fifa’s appeals committee rejected it.
The organisation also stated that FAM and the affected players have 10 days from the date of the announcement to request the written grounds of the decision, and 21 days to file a potential appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
FAM announced that it would be taking the matter to CAS, the final arbiter in such disputes.
Royal bankroll
On Nov 5, Harian Metro reported Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim reportedly offering to cover all expenses related to FAM's bid to bring its case to CAS.
Tunku Ismail reportedly said his gesture is a show of support for efforts to seek justice for the suspended players.
Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim“I will pay for everything, it is not the rakyat’s money,” he was quoted as saying.
This includes all legal costs as well as travel expenses, the report stated.
The regent, who also owns the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) football club, reportedly added he is not afraid if Fifa takes action against him. - Mkini

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