A new age fraud scandal has hit Cameroon after 21 members of their Under-17 team were banned due to the problem.
President Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon football federation was eager to get rid of the issue, so the federation called 44 players from eight different clubs for an investigation into possible age or identity fraud back in the summer.
But after the majority of the players chosen for this year’s UNIFACC tournament, which was played by the Under-17 teams of Central African Football Federations’ Union countries, were disqualified after failing MRI tests, Eto’o has been dealt another setback in his attempt to stop their age fraud crisis.
‘They were immediately removed from the group. Steps were immediately taken for their replacement.
‘This action is the result of strict instructions given by the President of FECAFOOT acting under the mandate of the COMEX, in order to put an end to the tampering with civil status records which have, in the past, tarnished the image of the apex body of the Cameroon football. FECAFOOT urges all actors, in particular educators, to ensure that the ages by category are respected.’
This year, an age-group competition was announced by the Cameroon Football Federation.
The exams scan the player’s wrists and measure the growth of their bones to establish their age.
For concealing the list of chosen players for both their Under-20 and Under-17 teams, Cameroon has recently come under fire.
Concerns have also been raised over their roster for the 2019 African Nations Championships, as an official list of players has not to be made available before their first match on January 16.
African football has always struggled with age fraud, with claims of overage players clouding several of their youth level international victories.
Although accusations have been made frequently, it appears that the authorities have not made many efforts to look into them.