SUMMARY
- Recently, the Cameroonian Federation suspended Wilfried Nathan Douala and 62 others for age fraud.
- Several fans took to their social media accounts to react to the suspensions.
Wilfried Nathan Douala is the latest name to be included in the list of African soccer players who have misrepresented their age. The Cameroonian player has been suspended by the country’s FA. However, the long list of age fraud scandals on the continent has risen to a concerning level.
Netizens on X were the first ones to react to the news. The users were both amused and worried about the gross mismanagement in African soccer.
🚨🚨| The Cameroonian Federation has suspended 62 players, including Wilfried Nathan Douala, who was selected at the last AFCON and claims to be 17 years old, for age fraud. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/332J9HXtP7
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) March 11, 2024
The user ‘edwin’ pointed out that Wilfried looked no way near his reported age of 17. The X user wrote, “That hairline alone is 35 dfkm”. An user, ‘Dan Kube’ joked about the Cameroonian being the same age as their dad. ‘Dan Kube’ commented, “This guy is probably as old as my dad.”
The series of hilarious comments continued as the user ‘tahvyr’ commented, “17 years old with full beards? were they blind?” And finally the user ‘preshmeely’ ends the discussion on a serious note by writing, “Many Africans fake their age when going abroad to become pro.” The user is most probably familiar with the age fraud scandals that have rocked Africa for years.
Cameroonian FA suspends Wilfried Nathan Douala for age fraud
The soccer federation announced its decision on March 11, 2024. Wilfried Nathan Douala joins 61 other Cameroonians who apparently provided the federation with false ages. Wilfried, who also happens to be the skipper of the Cameroonian club, will now be suspended from participating in the Elite One League. This would definitely harm the momentum of his club, as they are undefeated in their last five games.
Although the Cameroonian FA has declined to comment on the actual age of Wilfried Douala, it is baffling how he has managed to play for so long. The guilty party in this case is not a fringe player. Wilfried Douala is the captain of a decent Cameroonian club. In addition to that, he was also part of the AFCON 2023 squad, although he did not receive a single minute of playing time.
🇨🇲 Cameroon reveal their squad list for the 2023 AFCON.
Andre Onana makes the final list. pic.twitter.com/hOUp812Gio
— Owuraku Ampofo (@_owurakuampofo) December 28, 2023
The scandal has raised questions about the Cameroonian FA’s management of soccer affairs. Samuel Eto’o had promised to end the prevalence of age fraud when he became the President of the Cameroonian FA in December 2021. But the recent scandals don’t look promising for the former FC Barcelona player.
Even before the continental competition, soccer fans had been doubtful of the player’s age. However, with the suspension of Wilfried Douala, fans hope for an overhaul in Cameroon’s soccer scene.
African soccer is filled with such age fraud scandals
It is baffling to see how African players keep getting away with age fraud. The entire continent has had one such scandal in its history. Some of them look blatantly wrong, which is even more concerning.
Our story begins with Gabonese soccer player Guelor Kanga Kaku, whose age fraud scandal looks like an episode from a sitcom. He not only committed fraud with his age but also reportedly changed his country of birth.
Democratic Republic of Congo alleged that Guelor was a resident of the DRC and had a different actual name. Guelor Kanga’s scandal reached the heights of confusion when it was revealed that his documents showed that his mother had passed away years after his birth.
Gabon national team player Guelor Kanga Kaku will meet the CAF disciplinary committee to explain why his mother died in 1986 but he was born in 1990… pic.twitter.com/n4GpPwI8e1
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) January 8, 2024
Cameroon was disqualified from UNIFFAC, a mini-tournament for U-17 players from Central Africa, in 2023. The Central African country’s 21 players out of 30 selected for the tournament were found ineligible through MRI tests.
Nigeria and Ghana had committed similar offenses, and that too in some very reputable tournaments. The players cannot continue their nexus of age frauds without external support. The FAs might just be aware of the backstories of these frauds, but let them continue for selfish reasons. Whatever it is, such scandals really affect the reputation of the game, and the concerned authorities should look into the matter urgently.
