Youssoufa Moukoko of Borussia Dortmund has been caught up in an age fraud storm, with claims that he is 22 and not 18.
Youssoufa Moukoko, a Borussia Dortmund footballer, has reportedly been caught up in the age storm that has rocked Cameroonian football.
Moukoko, who was born in Yaounde, Cameroon, before moving to Germany in 2014 and being adopted, is alleged to be 22 years old rather than 18.
Cameroon’s Under-17 team was preparing to play Central African qualifying games for the Nations Cup this month when 21 of the 30-man squad failed age tests.
Coach Jean Pierre Fiala quickly brought in new players, but it was later discovered that 11 of the newcomers were also over-age.
In Germany, it has now been claimed that in 2022, a birth certificate dated 2000 with the name Yousouffa Mohamadou and attributed to Dortmund striker Moukoko was discovered.
According to Austrian news outlet Laola1, Moukoko’s adoptive father allegedly sent the alleged unearthed birth certificate to a journalist.
The player’s adoption was announced in 2022, but an investigation into age fraud is said to have cast doubt on Moukoko’s eligibility to be 18.
Further doubts are said to have arisen as a result of Moukoko allegedly having partners significantly older than him in his early adolescence.
The German FA told Sportsmail on Thursday, ‘We do not comment on any speculation.’
In 2017, the German FA vehemently denied any illegitimacy with regard to the player’s documentation, which lists his birth date as November 20, 2004.
‘The DFB has already had a number of intensive discussions with Borussia Dortmund on various levels,’ according to a DFB statement to Bild at the time.
‘At the DFB’s request for a thorough examination of the facts, those in charge at Borussia Dortmund always point to the authenticity of the papers and documents, which are also known to the DFB.
‘There is thus no doubt about the player’s age being correct. In this case, the DFB relies on the player’s home club information.’
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