SUMMARY
- Guelor Kanga is being investigated by CAF for allegedly faking his birthdate and nationality.
- According to the DRC, Guelor Kanga had forged documents to show himself as a Gabonese citizen.
Guelor Kanga might have been the part of soccer’s most shocking scandals. The Gabonese player was part of a controversy in 2021 that almost disqualified his nation from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. While cases of age fraud are very common in Africa, the incident related to Kanga is genuinely shocking. Guelor Kanga with his birth certificate has essentially defied biology.
The 33-year-old is facing an inquiry from the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The governing body has alleged that he has faked his birthdate and nationality. The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the world.
Kanga’s forgery first came to light in 2021 when the Democratic Republic of Congo reported Gabon to the CAF for fielding an ineligible player. According to the DRC, Guelor Kanga had forged documents to show himself as a Gabonese citizen.
Official documents show that Kanga was born on September 1, 1990, in Oyem, Gabon. However, the Democratic Republic of Congo alleged that the information was wrong. The country made a bold claim that the player was even carrying a false name.
— Fédération Gabonaise de Football (@fegafoot_gabon) May 26, 2021
DRC has said that Kanga’s real name is Kiaku Kiaku Kiangana, and he was born on October 8, 1985, in the country’s capital, Kinshasa. According to them, the attacking midfielder’s mother had died in 1986, one year after Kanga was born.
The most ironic thing in this whole saga is that Kanga, in an attempt to forge his birthdate, made a huge blunder. If the midfielder is to be believed that he was born in 1990, then his birth would have succeeded his mother’s death by 4 years. The incident is baffling considering the extent of misinformation involved in it.
Congo’s soccer federation, FECOFA had earlier reported the matter to CAF, but the body rejected it. CAF said (Daily Star), “The proof offered by FECOFA was not convincing nor sufficient to establish [identify fraud].” FECOFA then launched another appeal with CAF’s appeal panel.
African soccer has seen a rampant increase in age fraud scandals
Age fraud scandals have shocked African soccer quite a few times. The incidents have taken place due to the governing bodies’ corruption and poor management skills. The scandals more than bringing shame to the continent also act as a barrier for eligible and deserving players. When ineligible players are fielded, many deserving players are left unpicked.
In 2023, Cameroon was disqualified from the UNIFFAC, a mini-tournament for U-17 players from Central Africa. 21 out of the 30 players had failed the MRI tests used for determining age in athletes. Samuel Eto’o after he was elected the new President of the Cameroonian FA in 2021, vowed to clamp down on age fraud.
Samuel Eto’o has ordered Cameroon to disqualify 21 Under-17 players over age fraud concerns. pic.twitter.com/MTNaSUsEW8
— Jon Boafo (@JonBoafo) January 2, 2023
Nigeria was once banned by FIFA from international soccer due to an age fraud scandal. Three players from their 1988 Olympic squad had shown different birth dates than the previous tournaments. Ghana was banned for two U-17 Women’s World Cups and fined $100,00 for a similar offense.
In 2003, Kenya’s government disbanded its U-17 team, after many players admitted to age fraud. African nations like Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, and Congo-Brazzaville have all been reprimanded at some stage for age fraud.
