AFCON youngest player, Wilfried Douala, has been cleared of the allegations which were leveled against him some weeks back.
Wilfried Douala, hailed as the youngest player at AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast, found himself embroiled in controversy over alleged age cheating and false identity, but he has now been cleared.
Wilfried Douala made the headlines when he was identified as part of a group of 62 players suspended by the Cameroonian footballing body from the Cameroonian league due to age and identity fraud.
The allegations came after a media outlet “Le Monde Afrique” allegedly unearthed some revelations about his past, claiming that the 17-year-old was a player they had previously interviewed years before, going by the name ‘Alexandre Bardelli’ at the time and was 21 years old.
The media outlet went ahead to cross-reference various sources, including social media profiles, physical attributes like tattoos, scars, and facial recognition software.
They further established a link between the two identities, suggesting a deliberate attempt to alter age and identity.
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In response to their revelations on March 10, the Cameroonian football federation announced the suspension of Douala from the first division championship on grounds of “false identity.”
At the time, it appeared as if the footballer’s journey was over after he had just begun to impress in the Cameroonian league.
Good news is, the 17-year-old has now been cleared of these accusations by the Cameroonian football federation and has been allowed to return to action.
He has also been cleared to play in the upcoming MTN Elite 2024 playoffs for Victoria United FC, and his date of birth has been confirmed to be June 15, 2006, making him 17 years old.
