KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian national footballer Rodrigo Holgado is reportedly considering an early retirement from professional football following a suspension imposed by FIFA, which has significantly impacted his career.
Colombian football journalist Bombiro Quintero claimed that Holgado is contemplating this drastic step after his future appeared uncertain due to a 12-month ban by the global governing body over document falsification issues.
“Rodrigo Holgado, who has been suspended by FIFA since last September over matters involving the Malaysian national team, is seriously considering an early retirement from professional football.
“He still holds a contract with América de Cali but has not received any salary,” Quintero said on X.
Holgado, who made his debut for Malaysia against Vietnam in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers last year, is among seven players sanctioned by FIFA for document falsification.
The other six players are Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel, all found guilty of violating Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
Each player was fined 2,000 Swiss Francs (approximately RM10,000) and suspended from all football-related activities worldwide for 12 months, while the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was fined 350,000 Swiss Francs (around RM1.8 million).
In addition, FIFA annulled the results of three international matches in which the implicated players had been fielded, awarding 0-3 defeats to Malaysia.
The matches affected were a 1-1 draw against Cape Verde, a 2-1 victory over Singapore, and a 1-0 win against Palestine.
These rulings ended Malaysia’s unbeaten record for 2025 and caused the national team’s FIFA ranking to drop to 121st in the world. – January 14, 2026