Guinea defend CAF-supervised U17 checks after squad eligibility claims

The Guinean Football Federation (FGF) has rejected allegations of a “massive age fraud” operation ahead of the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

The claims were published by investigative journalist Romain Molina of Sport News Africa, who reported that the federation was concealing widespread age-related irregularities in preparation for the tournament.

According to those reports, only 12 of Guinea’s 38 players passed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) checks. Four players were still due to undergo examinations, while 22 had reportedly been removed from consideration because of suspected fraud.

The FGF responded with a firm denial, insisting the checks had been conducted under the supervision of officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The federation said the purpose of carrying out the examinations in advance was to prepare for the official checks scheduled to take place in Dakar. It added that the process was intended to ensure that every player selected to represent Guinea met the eligibility requirements set by CAF.

“In these circumstances, claims relating to an alleged ‘massive age fraud’ are completely unfounded and premature, since no official conclusion from CAF currently provides grounds for supporting such allegations,” the FGF said.

“The Guinean Football Federation therefore remains fully focused on its mission and will not allow itself to be distracted by defamatory and unverified information that could damage the reputation of the institution, its national teams, their coaching and support staff, and its young players.”

Guinea’s response comes against the backdrop of previous disciplinary action involving the country’s Under-17 team. Guinea were disqualified from the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in 2019 and 2024 for age-fraud offences.

If the latest allegations are confirmed, Guinea could face another sanction relating to next year’s edition of the competition, which is scheduled to be held in Morocco.

The federation has, however, stressed that no official CAF finding has yet been issued concerning the current checks. Its position is that the process remains part of the preparations designed to protect the eligibility of the players selected for the tournament.

The reported figures have raised questions about the make-up of Guinea’s prospective squad: 12 players are said to have cleared the MRI process, four remain awaiting examinations and 22 have allegedly been excluded because of suspicions over their ages.

The FGF maintains that those figures cannot, by themselves, establish wrongdoing before the competent CAF authorities have completed their work and published any conclusions. It described the allegations as premature and rejected the suggestion that an organised, large-scale operation had taken place.

Guinea’s football authorities said they would remain focused on their national teams and the young players involved as preparations continue for the tournament in Morocco next year.