Cameroon’s Mohamadou Idrissou could be banned from international football if a controversy over his age is not resolved. A report made to world football governing body Fifa claimed he was born in 1977, as opposed to his official birth date of 8 March 1980.
Idrissou, who plays in the German Bundesliga for Hannover, has been kept out of Cameroon’s 2006 World Cup qualifiers until the matter is resolved.
Fifa has asked the country’s football federation, Fecafoot, to clarify the discrepancy.
But they are yet to furnish Fifa with the documents that confirm the player’s official birth date.
Idrissou has denied any attempt to give anyone the impression that he is younger than 24, which he insists is his actual age.
« I was born in 1980 and I have only this date of birth, » he told BBC Sport.
Idrissou claimed that the controversy was instigated by a man who had tried to extort money from him.
« He wanted me to give him money, but when I refused he promised to create trouble for me. »
If found guilty of age falsification, Fifa could ban Idrissou for a considerable period of time.
