Cameroon has taken action against a player they brought to the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast earlier this year for allegedly falsifying personal information, which could potentially lead to their exclusion from future tournaments. The player in question, named Wilfried Nathan Douala, has been suspended by the Cameroon federation, FECAFOOT, along with several others due to administrative irregularities, including issues of double identity and age cheating.
Prior to the Cup of Nations finals in January, there was surprise when Douala, a relatively unknown 17-year-old player from second division club Victoria United with no prior international experience, was selected by coach Rigobert Song. Speculation arose on social media regarding his age authenticity, especially after reports surfaced suggesting that he had previously played under a different name, Alexandre Bardelli, and was actually over 21 years old.
An investigation by the French publication Le Monde raised concerns about Douala's age discrepancy, prompting questions to the Cameroon federation, which remained silent on the matter before the team departed for the tournament. Although Douala did not participate in any matches during the Cup of Nations, he was listed as a member of the squad.
According to tournament regulations, if fraud or forgery is detected, the national association involved could face a suspension from the next two editions of the Cup of Nations. Additionally, any administrative errors in player registration could result in the national association being barred from participating in the subsequent edition of the tournament.
The Confederation of African Football has been approached for a response regarding this matter.
