Erick, the chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia, said the country did not “intervene” and does not “meddle in other countries’ issues”.

“We do not interfere with the politics or policies of other countries, but of course, we want sports in Indonesia to progress.

“We want our football to improve, badminton to excel, pencak silat to go global. We aim for our sports to advance, but we do not intervene in other countries’ issues,” online news portal Detik20 quoted him as saying.

The sanctions stemmed from Harimau Malaya’s Asian Cup 2027 qualifier against Vietnam on June 10, when seven naturalised players – Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Julian Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano – were fielded.

FIFA said it received a complaint regarding their eligibility after the win, Malaysia’s first against Vietnam in 11 years.

It said its disciplinary committee found FAM guilty of breaching Article 22 of its code, which relates to forgery and falsification.

FAM secretary-general Noor Azman Rahman attributed the issue to a “technical error” by its personnel, while acting president Yusoff Mahadi insisted that the governing body had followed proper procedures and would appeal the ruling.