The Cameroon national football team has taken the decision to suspend a player they brought to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in the Ivory Coast earlier this year. The player in question, Wilfried Nathan Douala, is alleged to have falsified his name and date of birth. This serious accusation could potentially lead to Cameroon facing a future ban from the prestigious tournament.
On Monday, the Cameroon football federation, known as FECAFOOT, announced the suspension of 62 players from the league due to administrative irregularities, primarily involving double identities and age manipulation.
The selection of 17-year-old Douala by coach Rigobert Song for the Cup of Nations finals in January raised eyebrows and caused surprise. Douala, who hails from the second division club Victoria United and had no previous international experience, was relatively unknown in the football world. Speculation arose on social media regarding his actual age when pictures of the player first emerged.
French daily Le Monde conducted an investigation into the matter, revealing that Douala had purportedly played in the Cameroon league under the name Alexandre Bardelli and was allegedly over 21 years old. Le Monde claimed to have approached the Cameroon federation, FECAFOOT, for clarification on the irregularity before the team departed for the Ivory Coast. However, FECAFOOT declined to provide any comment. It’s worth noting that Douala did not participate in any matches during the Cup of Nations but was included in the registered squad.
According to tournament regulations, if fraud or forgery is proven, the national association involved may face suspension from participating in the next two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. Additionally, any administrative errors in player registration could result in the national association being suspended from the following edition of the tournament, as per the rules.
At present, there has been no official statement from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding this matter.