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Cameroonian club Victoria United has defended Wilfried Nathan Doualla after the midfielder was accused of age cheating.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 17-year-old was a surprise inclusion in the Indomitable Lions squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.<\/p>\n
Doualla is among 62 players who have been suspended from the domestic league by Cameroon’s football federation (Fecafoot) for double identification or age fraud.<\/p>\n
Doualla did not feature at this year’s Nations Cup finals, where Cameroon were knocked out in the last 16 by eventual runners-up Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Yet, after being called up by then coach Rigobert Song, there was much comment on social media about whether Doualla was really a teenager when pictures of the player first surfaced.<\/p>\n
His inclusion in the squad in Ivory Coast could lead to the five-time African champions being banned from future tournaments if his registration is proved to have been falsified.<\/p>\n
Nations Cup regulations state that if a fraud or a forgery has been committed, the national association concerned will be suspended from participation in the following two editions of the continental showpiece.<\/p>\n
For any administrative error in the registration of players, the national association concerned will be suspended from the next edition, the rules add.<\/p>\n
BBC Sport Africa has contacted the Confederation of African Football (Caf) for comment, while Fecafoot has not responded to an email sent to its communication department.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n