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Caught in the crossfire, his world could soon be crumbling. With his name in the headlines since Monday's announcement of the suspension of 62 players in the Cameroonian league due to administrative problems, notably double identities, Wilfried Nathan Douala may find it difficult to explain his situation. The youngest player at the AFCON 2023 in Côte d'Ivoire, the Victoria United midfielder had not played a single match, but had made headlines, creating debate about his age.
Officially aged 17, the player was pinpointed in a report by Le Monde Afrique. The media outlet used its archives to track down the player, whom a journalist had interviewed and photographed in 2022. At the time, Wilfried Nathan Douala was playing for the Oryx club and said his name was Alexandre Bardelli. At the time still, he said he was 21 years old. Relying on other elements found on his various social networks, his tattoos and scars at the time, as well as recognition software, the media concluded that it was indeed the same person, who had changed identity and age in the meantime.
Alerted by Le Monde Afrique prior to the AFCON, the Cameroon Football Federation declined to comment on the matter. The matter is likely to become a hot potato for the federation, as Cameroon could face sanctions for selecting a player with a false identity, up to and including suspension from the next two editions of the AFCON. This would certainly be a major blow for the Indomitable Lions. All this for a player who didn't played a single second of the entire competition.
The video report by Le Monde
