By Hassan Osman Kargbo
The Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) has suspended 62 players for what they called age fraud. One of them is Wilfried Nathan Douala, the midfielder from Victoria United, who played in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON).
The players were found to have lied about their ages, in some cases, by over a decade, raising serious integrity concerns for FECAFOOT and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Douala, who gained international recognition for being one of the youngest players at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023, was among the players suspended for what FECAFOOT described as “double identities” or false ages. The federation’s investigation revealed that Douala’s true age was different from what he had claimed, throwing his promising career into jeopardy.
The discovery of widespread age manipulation within Cameroonian football raises questions about the prevalence of such practices in African football youth setups. FECAFOOT’s decision to suspend the players indicates that the issue may be more extensive than initially thought.
Social media users had already expressed doubts about Douala’s age before the AFCON tournament, where he failed to make an appearance for Cameroon’s national team, the Indomitable Lions. The consequences of the age fraud scandal are severe, with Douala facing a potentially lengthy ban from international competition. The incident has exposed flaws in the system and raised concerns about the integrity of African football.
