A British report revealed a new scandal that shook football in Cameroon, days before the start of the Central African Championship.
And the British newspaper "Daily Mail" (Daily Mail) stated that 21 out of 30 players who make up the Cameroon under-17 national team, which is scheduled to participate in the UNIFFAC Championship, have been excluded, a tournament for young teams in the middle of the continent.
According to the newspaper, after all Cameroonian under-17 players underwent medical examinations, the results raised doubts about the information provided by more than two-thirds of the players.
The "Untamed Lions" players were subjected to tests through which age was determined by scanning the wrists and measuring bone growth.
The results revealed that 21 players from the Cameroon under-17 national team had already had their ages falsified, while the remaining nine were identical.
The newspaper confirmed that, despite this, the Cameroon national team was not excluded from the tournament, but officials must send a new list of players.
The Cameroonian Federation recognizes
In turn, the Cameroonian Federation recognized this crisis, after issuing an official statement in which it said: “In preparation for the UNIFFAC Limbe 2023 Championship, which qualifies for the upcoming African U-17 Nations Championship, 21 players out of 30 who are currently training failed in the results of the MRI tests.”
He added, "They were immediately excluded from the list, and immediate procedures were initiated in order to summon others."
21 out of the 30 Cameroon under 17 players selected for the AFCON qualifiers have been removed from the squad after lying about their age and failing the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) test on bones, data is getting to determine the age of a person.
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The statement explained: "This action was taken as a result of the strict instructions issued by the President of the Federation, seeking to put an end to the manipulation of civil status records, which in the past distorted the image of the High Authority of Cameroon."
And the statement concluded: “The Cameroonian Federation urges all actors and officials, and in particular the coaches, to ensure respect for the ages according to the category.”
Last summer, the Cameroonian Federation summoned 44 players representing 8 clubs, in order to investigate them on charges of falsifying data.
The crisis of player fraud is one of the problems plaguing African football, and it can be said that it has become a habit in many countries of the continent.
The "Daily Mail" recalled the incident of Guinea's exclusion from the U-17 World Cup, in 2019, after the team was convicted of falsifying the ages of two players.
Prior to that, FIFA banned the Nigerian Federation from participating in tournaments in all age groups in 1989, after discovering that the ages of 3 players who participated with the "Eagles" in the 1988 Olympic Games were forged.