KUALA LUMPUR – Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) will be without three players, while Kuching City FC will also lose one, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a 12-month suspension imposed on them.
The Malaysian Football League (MFL), which organises the M-League, confirmed it had received official notification from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) regarding the CAS decision.
As a result, JDT players Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel, along with Kuching City FC’s Gabriel Palmero, will be sidelined from official matches for at least six months before they are eligible to return to competitive action.
In a statement, MFL said the ruling maintained the 12-month suspension for the seven players but clarified that the sanction applies only to official matches and not to all football-related activities.
“Following this decision, the three JDT players involved – Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Hector Hevel – as well as Kuching City FC’s Gabriel Palmero, are barred from playing in the M-League during the suspension period,” the statement read.
Earlier, CAS confirmed the 12-month ban on seven players – Hector Hevel, Imanol Machuca, Facundo Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal and Gabriel Palmero – in connection with a case involving falsified eligibility documents.
However, the ban applies strictly to official matches and does not extend to all football-related activities.
“This means the players are still allowed to continue training with their respective clubs during the period of suspension,” CAS said.
CAS concluded that the offence of falsifying eligibility documents had been proven, and that a 12-month suspension from official matches was a reasonable and proportionate sanction for the seven players involved.
The tribunal also noted the players’ responsibility for their role in the misconduct. – March 7, 2026