Facundo Tomás Garcés (born 5 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Deportivo Alavés. He played for the Malaysia national team twice; however, he is currently suspended from all football related activities after being sanctioned by FIFA in September 2025 for forging documents related to his Malaysian ancestry.
Club career Colón Garcés played for Club El Quillá at youth level. He first made the senior teamsheet for Colón in May 2017 for a Primera División match as an unused substitute. Garcés soon headed back to the reserves, before returning to the senior bench in April and May 2019 – though again he would not make an appearance versus Gimnasia y Esgrima or, in the Copa Sudamericana, River Plate. He went unused a further seven times, before belatedly making his debut – as a starter – in a Copa de la Liga Profesional win over Central Córdoba on 4 December 2020.
Alavés On 3 August 2024, Spanish side Deportivo Alavés agreed a pre-contract with Garcés, effective from 1 January 2025; he signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the club. He made his La Liga debut for the club in a match against RCD Mallorca on 2 March. Following his sanction by FIFA in September, Alavés suspended Garcés, but expressed their support for him.
International career Garcés was called up to the Malaysia training camp ahead of the closed-door friendly match against Cape Verde and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against Vietnam in June 2025. He made his international debut on 10 June in the match against Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
Garcés was among the seven Malaysian heritage players sanctioned by FIFA on 26 September 2025. The disciplinary committee found that the Football Association of Malaysia used fake documents to field the players in the match against Vietnam on 10 June.
Personal life Born in Argentina, Garcés claimed to be of Malaysian descent through his grandmother. On 2 June 2025, he officially obtained Malaysian citizenship. However, FIFA released a statement that his grandmother was not born in nor has Malaysian ancestry, as the documentation submitted by Football Association of Malaysia was proven to be doctored.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Colón 2020–21 Primera División 4Soccerway counts Copa de la Liga Profesional appearances as league appearances.010 — —50 2021 Primera División 37000 — —370 2022 Primera División 3421080 —432 2023 Primera División 41130 — —441 2024 Primera División 0000 — —00 Total 11635080001293 Alavés 2024–25 La Liga 100 — — —100 2025–26 La Liga 10000 — —100 Total 20000 — —200 Career total 13635080001493
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year National teamYearAppsGoals Malaysia 202520 Total20
Honours Colón Copa de la Liga Profesional: 2021
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