CAS reactivates the sanction against Facundo Garcés

Deportivo Alavés

Facundo Garcés will have to stop again. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) resolved this Thursday the appeal of the center back and confirms that he must serve the remaining part of his punishment.

The ruling comes after the injunction granted on January 26, which allowed him to compete again during the last few weeks, but the sanction now immediately regains its effects.

Immediate effects and return schedule

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Facundo Garcés
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The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued this Thursday its decision on the appeal filed by Facundo Garcés against the 12-month sanction imposed by FIFA on September 26, 2025 for using «manipulated documentation» to prove his grandfather’s origin to play for Malaysia. The ruling determines that the defender must serve the remaining eight months of the punishment, with immediate effect as of this Thursday.

The Swiss court, however, introduces a nuance regarding the first part of the sanction: unlike what initially occurred, Garcés may train in Ibaia alongside his teammates. The CAS thus partially upholds the appeal filed by the seven footballers who were internationals for Malaysia. In practice, it maintains the prohibition to play in official matches during the sanction period, but allows them to train with the group and play friendlies.

The original punishment, reaffirmed by FIFA’s Appeals Committee, explicitly prohibited any «activity related to football». Now, the measure delivers a new blow to Deportivo Alavés and the player, who had managed to appear in four matches — Espanyol, Getafe, Sevilla, and Levante — thanks to the injunction granted on January 26.

The CAS also counts the period in which the defender did not play following the first verdict, from September 25, 2025, to January 26, 2026, so for practical purposes he will not have to serve the entire sanction again, but only the eight remaining months. According to the ruling, Garcés could return on November 5, when the 12 months from the start of the punishment will be completed.

The CAS that granted the injunction to Garcés just over a month ago considers the sanction imposed by FIFA «reasonable and proportionate» due to his «complicit responsibility in the fraud» for which the top football organization punished them.