Wilfried Nathan Douala, 17, the youngest player on Rigobert Song’s Africa Cup of Nations team for Cameroon is among the 62 Cameroonian players suspended for age fraud.
This past weekend, FECAFOOT unveiled the official roster which features Wilfried Nathan Douala, 17, a surprising addition to Rigobert Song’s team for the Ivory Coast competition.
The Victoria United captain is not allowed to play in the Elite League play-off games because according to FECAFOOT, he lied about his age.
Douala, whose true age is unknown, has been suspended along with 61 other players for lying about their age in bid to alleviate the administrative problems that were previously encountered both during and after the Cameroonian football season.
Song was commended for seeing Douala competing in the national league and for his unexpected selection in his tournament squad. Nevertheless, the midfield player was unable to play in the championship game as Cameroon was eliminated by finalist Nigeria in the round of 16.
It’s the third year in a row that Cameroon have been hit with a suspension for age fraud.
President Samuel Eto of Cameroon, who is eager to end age or identity cheating in the central African nation, called 44 players from eight different teams for a hearing in the summer of 2022.
A new controversy surfaced six months later in January 2023 after 21 members of their Under-17 team were disqualified due to the same issue.
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