As earlier reported, AFC has launched an investigation into the identities of two Central Asian players after what the Confederation believes is a case of falsification of nationalities to play in AFC competitions.

Following a routine check of documents to determine player eligibility for the AFC Challenge Cup 2008 (Qualifiers), the Confederation has found an extremely close similarity between the personal data and photos of Mr. Akmal Kholmatov and Mr. Akmal Holmatov who is already registered as an Uzbekistan player in the AFC Champions League.

While the two players have identical date of births and photos, Mr. Kholmatov possessed a Tajikistan passport and represented Tajikistan in the AFC Asian Cup 2004, AFC Challenge Cup 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, while Mr. Akmal Holmatov had been registered with the Confederation since 2004 in the AFC Champions League, playing for Uzbek clubs as a local player.

A preliminary investigation and photographs have revealed that Kholmatov and Holmatov are the same person and AFC has written to the Tajikistan Football Federation and Uzbekistan Football Federation for irrefutable proof by today that these are two different individuals, failing which the matter will be referred to the AFC Disciplinary Committee. Evidently, both governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan do not recognize dual nationalities.

In an effort to combat cheating, the Confederation has tightened its regulations and Disciplinary Code with the guilty parties likely to face severe sanctions including a ban from football activities, losing the matches in which the player was fielded as well as financial sanctions.

Pakhtakor said on its website that Mr Holmatov moved from Tajikistan’s RegarTadAz to Uzbekistan’s Neftchi in 1996. After living in Uzbekistan for five years, he received the passport of Uzbekistan in 2002. From that time, he played as local player in the Uzbek Premier League and the AFC competitions.

The website said the Tajikistan Football Federation has a letter from Players’ Status Committee of FIFA dated 9 February 2004, which allowed Holmatov to play for Tajikistan national team.

The club said it summated necessary information to the AFC and it will wait for its decision. However, it added that Akmal Holmatov flied to Jordan with the team to the match against Iraq’s Arbil.