Eto’o suspends 62 players as age fraud in Cameroon continues

• Age fraud in Cameroon has been a serious problem, with the latest case leading to suspension of 62 players
• One of the players who has been suspended is Nathan Wilfried Douala, who was in Cameroon’s squad at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

Age fraud in Cameroon has been a serious problem, with the latest case leading to suspension of 62 players from participating in upcoming matches.

According to reports, these players are suspected of concealing their true ages and are not allowed to play until stated otherwise. Only four out of 19 teams in the top tier of the Cameroonian Championship did not have potential violators. The teams that have been affected by suspension of players have been given 72 hours to appeal the punishment.

One of the players who has been suspended is Victoria United’s Nathan Wilfried Douala, who was in Cameroon’s squad at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament that took place in Ivory Coast and ran from January 13 to February 11, 2024. Doula is 17 years according to his passport but he looks older as per his appearance. He was a surprise call from former Cameroon national team coach Rigobert Song who liked his performance while playing for Victoria United. He was also identified as the youngest player of the 34^th edition of the big tournament.

Nathan Wilfried Douala is one of the players suspended for age fraud in Cameroon. Photo/ Sportsdunia.

Even though Douala stayed with Cameroon at Africa Cup of Nations until when they were defeated by Nigeria in the Round of 16, he didn’t play any match. His call was controversial and he has been in the headlines since then, but things are about to get worse for him as his career is in danger.

The announcement of players suspended because of age fraud in Cameroon comes at a time when teams are getting ready for play-offs. The Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) has made it clear that all the 62 players who have been found guilty of age fraud will not play for their teams in the play-offs.

Cameroonian football is facing a lot of challenges and Samuel Eto’o, who is the Cameroon Football Federation President, is trying to solve them all.

This is the third year in a row that Cameroon’s FA is dealing with this problem and has been forced to suspend players. This issue of suspension started in the summer of 2022 when 44 players were summoned for a hearing because of age cheating.

Barely half a year later, a new scandal emerged involving the Cameroon Under-17 team national team where 21 members were disqualified because of age fraud.

Age fraud in Cameroon has been hitting headlines because of the good work Samuel Eto’o is doing while leading the country’s FA.  This issue can be used to explain the failures by Cameroon’s youth to achieve success at senior level.

Eto’o Dealing With Enemies Since Being Appointed President of Cameroon’s FA

Many will agree that Samuel Eto’o is doing a good job leading the Cameroonian Football Federation, but not everyone is happy with him. Actually, some want him to be removed from his position by force.

A good example is Cameroon’s Professional Football League (LFPC). They sent a letter to football’s governing body FIFA demanding Eto’o to be fired immediately in September last year, as per Mozzart.

LFPC are accusing Eto’o of helping Victoria United receive promotion because the club’s president is his friend. Eto’o told the president on a leaked audio that he should remain calm as they will give his team all three points and suspend the referee.

Samuel Eto’o. Photo/ Kemi Filani.

Samuel Eto’o was a very talented football player but has been caught in controversies several times now and might want to change his bad ways. Eto’o played for Barcelona and admitted three years ago that he was involved in tax fraud while playing for the club which is very big in Europe. Since he pleaded guilty, he was handed a suspended prison sentence and forced to pay fine.

Eto’o also behaved badly at the 2022 FIFA World Cup by attacking a YouTuber after a match between Brazil and South Korea.

Samuel Eto’o was a star player and is still celebrated up to date because of his talent. He won back-to-back trebles playing for FC Barcelona and Inter Milan.