Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info Francais (Editor)
Published on 2024-03-12 15:15:05
While Cameroonian football has been facing a scandal for the past 2 days regarding suspected dual identities of 62 players in the Mtn Elite One championship, Samuel Eto’o’s spokesperson has provided explanations.
Indeed, he spoke out on the French sports media outlet L’Equipe. According to Ernest Obama’s explanations, the issue of reducing the age of players in Cameroon is mainly linked to the pressure exerted by European clubs who prefer to recruit younger players. This situation leads some players to lie about their age in order to remain competitive in the international football market. “The decision of European clubs not to recruit players older than 23 from Africa is the main cause of this situation. Players who are not detected early due to the lack of youth championships end up in the first division at 24, 25, 26 years old. It is already too late for them,” he stated, adding that “Another case is that of a player who plays regionally at 23 or 24 years old, by the time they reach the first division, they are 28 or 30 years old. So, they cut their age to go from 23 to 17, in order to enter the circuit and give themselves a chance to be detected at 20 or 21 years old.”
In response to this scandal, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has implemented strict measures to combat age fraud in players. In case of verification and confirmation of age reduction, Cameroon risks severe sanctions, including exclusion from international competitions such as the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Faced with this major issue, it is more than urgent for African football federations to implement policies that make local championships more attractive. This includes better treatment of players in terms of salaries, as well as other factors such as their insurance and technical support. For this to happen, clubs must be willing to professionalize and avoid corruption. This is a battle in which the president of Fecafoot has been engaged since taking over this institution, and it has earned him a lot of criticism from those who are not ready to change this situation.
Gilles Noubissie
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
