Many Cameroon U17 players were excluded from the team due to age fraud.
The Football Federation of Cameroon (FECAFOOT) uses MRI to check the age of players selected for the U17 CAN Cup qualifiers. The players will have magnetic resonance imaging at the wrist to analyze the bone maturity. According to the Daily Mail, this age test is based on FIFA requirements and has an accuracy of up to 99%.
“Results from the strict directive given by President Samuel Eto’o to put an end to the falsification of records that tarnished the image of former Cameroon football. FECAFOOT urges all parties involved, especially educators, to ensure that players accurately report their ages,” the statement from FECAFOOT read.
During the summer of 2022, FECAFOOT summons 44 players from 8 different clubs to testify on an allegation of age and identity fraud.. President Samuel Eto’o wants to eliminate this thorny problem in the Central African country but faces many difficulties.
Age cheating is a longstanding concern for African football. Their international success at youth level has been clouded by allegations of the use of underage players.
In 2019, Guinea was dropped from the Under-17 World Cup after two of their players were found guilty of age fraud. In 1989, FIFA banned Nigeria from participating in youth tournaments after it was discovered that the birth dates of three players in the 1988 Olympics squad were false.
Back to Cameroon, this team had many scandals during the 2022 World Cup. Former Cameroon player, Mohamadou Idrissou, alleged that some players in this country had to pay a sum of money to be on the list. to Qatar to play.
Andre Onana, Cameroon’s number one goalkeeper, was kicked out of the team’s headquarters by coach Rigobert Song for being undisciplined. Meanwhile, President Samuel Eto’o assaulted a fan in Qatar.
Xiaofeng | 18:51 02/01/2023
