62 players were suspended from a Cameroonian federation for “age fraud” – – 2024-03-14 20:56:48

Cameroonian football, accustomed to being in the center of the scene for its triumphs in the Africa Cup, today faces a controversy that puts it back in the global spotlight, but for less celebratory reasons. The Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) announced this morning through various local media that 62 players from the national championship have been declared ineligible to participate in the MTN Elite One playoffs. The reason behind this drastic measure is double identity and false declaration of ages by the players involved.

Among those affected is Nathan Douala, who plays for Victoria United of the A-League and has been identified for supposedly being 17 years old, although doubts about his real age have arisen as a result of this investigation.

Douala’s notoriety grew months ago, when he was called up by coach Rigobert Song to be part of the national team in the Africa Cup, a tournament that Cameroon has won five times (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 and 2017). For this edition, the team was looking for its sixth star, incorporating renowned figures such as Onana, Zambo-Anguissa and Aboubakar. However, the inclusion of Wilfried Douala was especially notable due to the youth reflected in his documentation, claiming to have been born on May 15, 2006.

Douala’s situation is not an isolated case within its team, since the Victoria Highlanders is one of the clubs most affected by this sanction, losing seven players for the next matches. The impact has been even greater for the Young Sport team, which has had 13 members of its squad declared ineligible by FECAFOOT.

In contrast, there are clubs that have not been affected by this scandal, preserving the integrity of their squad for the close of the season. The teams that maintain their full roster are Coton Sport de Garoua, Canon de Yaoundé, Stade Renard de Melong and Aigle Royal de la Manoua, thus being able to face the upcoming challenges with their 100% squad.

This incident once again highlights the challenges facing Cameroonian football, under the leadership of former footballer Samuel Eto’o, who has already been involved in various controversies in recent months.

FECAFOOT thus faces one of the most complicated scenarios in its recent history, having to deal with dishonesty within its league and the shadow of doubt that this casts on the future of the beautiful game in Cameroon.