The 30-year-old striker has not played an official game since the disciplinary action was handed to him by FIFA in September 2025, according to Colombian media.

Colombian football journalist Bombardero Quintero noted on X that Holgado’s future is in “serious doubt,” stating the player is “seriously considering hanging up his boots” due to the damage and the duration of the ban.

Although he remains under contract with América de Cali in the Colombian Categoría Primera A, the club are not required to pay his salary during the suspension, New Straits Times reported.

Holgado’s brief stint with Malaysia was initially seen as a triumph as he was named player of the match in his debut on June 10, 2025, scoring in a 4-0 win over Vietnam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

However, FIFA’s investigation revealed that the documentation proving Holgado’s heritage in Malaysia was not authentic. While the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) claimed his grandfather was born in George Town, Penang, FIFA provided evidence that he was actually born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Besides Holgado, six other players, Gabriel Palmero, Facundo Garces, Imanol Machuca, Joao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal, and Hector Hevel, also received similar penalties. Each player was fined 2,000 Swiss francs (US$2,500) and banned from all football activities for 12 months.

The scandal has left a devastating impact on Malaysian football. FIFA fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs ($437,000) and annulled the results of three international matches, recording them as 0-3 forfeits.

The 2027 Asian Cup qualifying matches fall under the jurisdiction of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and Malaysia may also suffer the same punishment in the two games against Vietnam and Nepal.

FAM has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but legal experts suggest their chances of overturning the ruling are slim.