Kuala Lumpur:Seven heritage players previously suspended for 12 months by FIFA can now resume all football-related activities, effective today. This announcement was confirmed by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) in a circular dated October 30, indicating that the suspensions ended yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, MFL's chief executive officer, Mohd Shazli Shaik Mohd, verified the circular's authenticity, which had also been shared widely on social media. "That is correct, it is genuine," he stated.

The players affected include Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel. Among them, Figueiredo, Palmero, Irazabal, and Hevel are associated with Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), while Holgado is nearing a move to DPMM FC, as confirmed by the Brunei-based club.

The controversy emerged in September of the previous year when FIFA discovered falsified documents had been used to justify the eligibility of these foreign-born players to represent Malaysia in international games. In March, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld the players' appeals against FIFA's sanctions related to the document falsification. CAS ruled that the players would still face 12-month suspensions, but these bans were limited to official matches and did not extend to all football-related activities.