KUALA LUMPUR – Colombian football club América de Cali is reportedly moving to terminate the contract of national team forward Rodrigo Holgado, as the fallout from the ongoing falsified documentation case involving several naturalised Malaysian players continues to escalate.
In a post on X, Colombian football journalist Pipe Sierra reported that the club has begun legal proceedings to end the 28-year-old’s contract after receiving the latest response from FIFA’s Appeals Committee.
“Club América, through its lawyers, is moving forward with the process to terminate Rodrigo Holgado’s (28) contract, following the response from FIFA’s Appeals Committee,” said Sierra.
He added that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) is preparing to contest the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Holgado, who is valued at €700,000 (approximately RM3.39 million) according to Transfermarkt, joined América de Cali in 2024 on a two-year contract.
However, he has not played since September, when FIFA imposed a 12-month suspension on him for using falsified documents to represent Malaysia.
The suspension was part of a wider ruling delivered on September 26, in which FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee sanctioned FAM for fielding players registered under allegedly forged ancestry documents.
FAM was fined 350,000 Swiss Franc (RM1.9 million), while seven players, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garcés, Holgado, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel, were each fined 2,000 Swiss Franc and handed 12-month bans from all football-related activities.
Holgado, born in Buenos Aires, previously played for Gimnasia La Plata, Audax Italiano, and Curicó Unido, and enjoyed two successful spells with Coquimbo Unido, where he scored 34 goals and helped the club secure the 2018 Primera B title before returning there on loan in 2023.
Meanwhile, reports from Chilean outlet En Cancha suggest that América de Cali has already identified Holgado’s replacement target to reinforce head coach Esteban González’s attacking options, signalling that the club is preparing for his departure.
Further developments are expected in the coming weeks as América de Cali formalises its termination proceedings and FAM files its CAS appeal. – November 5, 2025