Illegal naturalization scandal leads to 0-3 loss to Vietnam, Malaysian player renounces citizenship

Malaysia national team naturalized player Facundo Garcés unexpectedly registered by Deportivo Alavés as Argentine

Facundo Garcés unexpectedly registered as Argentine by Deportivo Alavés in La Liga, Facundo Garcés has been unexpectedly registered as an Argentine by Deportivo Alavés in La Liga, instead of as a Malaysian as previously reported. This detail quickly drew attention as the 29-year-old defender is one of the players involved in the naturalization scandal that shook Malaysian football. Garcés appearing as an Argentine also sparked speculation that he may no longer hold Malaysian citizenship.

According to the latest registration list submitted by Deportivo Alavés to La Liga organizers, Garcés remains in the squad of the Spanish club. However, his nationality is listed as Argentine. This is noteworthy because Garcés had previously been naturalized by Malaysia and had played for the national team in international matches.

Garcés is one of seven players found to have been involved in using invalid documents during the naturalization process in Malaysia. After the case was exposed, FIFA imposed a one-year ban on this group of players. According to the plan, the ban for Garcés and the related players will expire in September 2026, opening up the possibility for them to return to official competition.

Among the controversial naturalized players of Malaysia, Garcés is considered one of the most prominent names. The defender, born in 1996, previously played in La Liga for Deportivo Alavés and has considerable experience in European football. During the period of his FIFA suspension, Garcés continued to receive support from Alavés instead of having to leave the club like some other cases.

In contrast to Garcés, many players involved in the Malaysian naturalization case faced uncertain futures before being taken in by Johor Darul Ta'zim. Recently, the Malaysian champions attracted attention by registering four players involved in this case for the 2026-2027 season as domestic players instead of foreign players.

Johor Darul Ta'zim previously explained that the fact that the players are not eligible to play for the Malaysian national team under FIFA regulations does not mean they have lost their Malaysian citizenship. Therefore, the club can still register them as domestic players based on their current citizenship documents. In that context, Garcés being registered as an Argentine by Alavés keeps the story of the defender's nationality a topic of ongoing interest.