This week's disqualification of 21 members of their Under-17 squad for failing tests was a setback for Eto'o's efforts to solve the issue in the Central African nation.
No fewer than 32 players from the Cameroonian Football U-17 team have failed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) screening aimed to verify their age.
In preparation for the UNIFACC tournament played by the under-17 teams of the countries of the Central African Football Associations Union, Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Fecafoot national association, urged all players selected for their youth team to undergo MRI tests to determine the players’ ages in a bid to solve the country’s growing problem of age fraud.
Samuel Eto'o, the president of Cameroon's national football team, was shocked to learn that 32 members of the under-17 squad had failed age tests before this month's games.
This week's disqualification of 21 members of their Under-17 squad for failing tests was a setback for Eto'o's efforts to solve the issue in the Central African nation.
Eleven new players called up as replacements who had been added to the roster after the initial 21 players were removed for failing the tests. In order to field a team for their games at the UNIFACC tournament, Coach Jean Pierre Fiala is working against the clock to find replacements.
The tests scan the player's wrists and measure the growth of their bones to establish their age.
In a statement, Fecafoot explained how Eto’o gave “strict instructions” for conducting the tests “to put an end to the manipulation of civil records that has historically tarnished the image of Cameroonian football. ‘
They added: “Fecafoot urges all stakeholders, especially educators, to ensure that age per category is respected.”
African football has struggled with age fraud for a long time; many of its youth-level international victories have been overshadowed by claims that their players are getting older.
Regular allegations were made, but the authorities didn't seem to have made much of an effort to look into them.
Regarding the original 21 players, the Cameroonian Football Association had released a statement.
Cameroon won the U17 African Championship twice, and Fecafoot previously disqualified 14 players from the 2017 U17 AFCON competition after they failed the MRI tests, which were instituted by FIFA at the 2009 U17 World Cup.
In the meantime, the Cameroon football federation highlighted their efforts to address the issue by calling 44 players from eight different clubs to a hearing over the summer regarding alleged age or identity fraud.
The Central African nation’s Under-17 side host Congo, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic this month, with the top two teams qualifying for April’s Under-17 AFCON in Algeria.
With the first 21 players banned, Fecafoot outlined their nation’s position following the failed tests.
They said: “The Football Federation of Cameroon informs the public that as part of the preparations for the UNIFFAC Limbe 2023 tournament, which qualifies for the next Africa U17 Nations Championship, 21 out of 30 players currently in training failed the MRI tests.
In his role on Fecafoot, Eto’o has been desperate to eradicate the problem of age cheating
“They were immediately removed from the group. Steps were taken immediately to replace them,” the added.
In order to stop the falsification of civil registration documents, which has in the past damaged the reputation of the umbrella organization of Cameroonian football, this action is the result of strict instructions from the President of FECAFOOT, acting on behalf of the COMEX. All parties involved, especially educators, are urged by FECAFOOT to make sure that age by category is respected.
Additionally, Cameroon has recently come under fire for refusing to release the names of the players chosen for both its U20 and U17 teams.
In addition, their squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is said to be under scrutiny because no official roster has been made public prior to their opening match against Congo on January 16.
Concerns about age restrictions or identity theft persist for all of African football.
Another case of age fraud that received more attention involved Tobie Mimboe, a former Cameroon international who produced birth certificates that appeared to indicate he was getting younger over time.
Guinea was also disqualified from the U17 World Cup in 2019 after two of its players were found guilty of age fraud.
The dates of birth of three of Nigeria's players at the 1988 Olympics were different from those used by the same players at earlier tournaments, which led to FIFA banning Nigeria from age group competitions as early as 1989.
Eto'o promised to reform football in the nation when he was elected president of the Cameroonian FA in December 2021, and he is now stepping up efforts to do just that.