Nine players who had previously represented East Timor have had their passports annulled by the Asian Football Confederation ©AFC

Nine players who had previously represented East Timor have had their passports annulled by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after it was found they had provided false documentation in order to compete for the country.

A statement from the AFC confirmed the players, all of whom were born in Brazil, had their passports declared "null and void".

It comes after the Ministry of Justice of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste – via Timor-Leste’s Embassy in Kuala Lumpur - informed the AFC that the passports were illegitimate.

The move is part of a crackdown from the AFC on the use of falsified documents.

"The AFC has informed all Member Associations (MA) of the situation and has also advised the MAs that a further enquiry regarding Timor-Leste passports purportedly held by a number of other players has also been made," the AFC said in a statement.

Midfielder Diogo Santos Rangel, who previously played for Thailand's Songkhla United, and Kuwait's Kazma Sports Club player Patrick Fabiano Alves Nobrega Luz are among those named by the AFC.

East Timor were thrown out of the 2023 Asian Cup qualification in January for fielding ineligible players ©Getty Images
East Timor were thrown out of the 2023 Asian Cup qualification in January for fielding ineligible players ©Getty Images

Fellipe Bertoldo Dos Santos, Ramon Saro, Jairo Pinheiro Palmeira Neto, Junior Aparecido Guimaro De Souza, Paulo Cesar Da Silva Martins, Paulo Helber Rosa Ribeiro and Rodrigo Sousa Silva have also had their passports annulled.

It represents the latest scandal involving East Timor, who were banned from the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January after the country's Federation was found guilty of forging birth and baptism certificates to allow a number of Brazilians to play for them.

The Federacao Futebol Timor-Leste (FFTL) were found to have forged documents which showed the Brazilian players had East Timorese heritage, with one or both of their parents being born in the country.

Three of the Brazilians played in the nation's first win over Cambodia four years ago, with six also playing in FIFA World Cup qualifier wins in 2015.

Following an investigation by the the AFC's Disciplinary Committee, it was decided that the FFTL will be excluded from the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and fined $20,000 (£16,000/€18,500).