FIFA has accused the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) of falsifying citizenship documents for seven foreign-born players on Monday. In response to the situation, FIFA’s disciplinary committee previously imposed sanctions on these players and the football federation, after it was found that the athletes participated in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam last June using “doctored documentation.”

Among those players receiving a 12-month suspension from all sporting activities are: Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Hector Hevel, and Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo. On September 26, FIFA released a statement indicating that FAM had breached article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code that pertains to forgery and falsification.

FIFA claims that the Malaysian association modified the birth certificates of the seven players to falsely reflect that their grandparents were born in the country. The federation’s “grandfather rule” allows foreign-born players to compete for the nation if their parents or grandparents are from there.

Further investigation revealed that original birth certificates of the grandparents, acquired by FIFA investigators, showed they were actually born in countries such as Spain, Argentina, or Brazil, akin to the players themselves. FAM stated that it was an “administrative error” and asserted their intent to appeal to FIFA. However, they will still be required to pay a fine of $440,000, and the players involved will face an additional fine of $2,500.

Upcoming, Malaysia is set to face Laos in the Asian Cup qualifier this week, but the absence of the seven suspended players will drastically alter their lineup.