‘One had three kids’ – Fabio levels age fraud claims against Ghana’s 2007 U17 World Cup squad

Former Brazil defender Fabio da Silva has leveled explosive allegations of age fraud against the Ghana Black Starlets team that competed in the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The former Manchester United fullback claimed that several Ghanaian players were significantly older than the tournament’s age limit, suggesting some were as old as 25 during the competition.

Fabio, who captained the Brazilian squad in South Korea, recalled a specific encounter that led to his suspicions. He stated that upon speaking with one of the Ghanaian opponents, he discovered the player already had three children despite ostensibly being a teenager.

“We [Brazil] lost in the quarterfinals to Ghana. They said they had 17-year-olds, but I don’t think so. I think [they are] 25-year-olds. I met one and started speaking with him; he already had three kids.”

The 2007 tournament remains a point of historical contention regarding youth football integrity. While Ghana finished fourth, the award winners from that era followed wildly different career trajectories.

While Germany’s Toni Kroos, the Bronze Shoe winner, evolved into a global icon, the Golden and Silver Shoe winners, Macauley Chrisantus and Ransford Osei, saw their professional careers fade prematurely.