Gabon player under scanner for possible age-fraud – reports

Addis Ababa, January 10, 2024 (FBC) – The CAF, the governing body of African football, has summoned Gabonese international Guélor Kanga to provide statements and clarify before its Superior Council how he was born four years after his mother’s death, according to reports.

The controversy regarding the age of this player arises on the eve of Africa’s most prestigious football competition, the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Kanga, a player for Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, has been involved in an unusual case. According to a report from AZSCORE, there are conflicting documents regarding his identity. The Gabonese football federation and Kanga himself claim that he was born in Gabon on September 1, 1990, making him 33 years old. However, in 2021, the DR Congo federation accused the Gabonese federation of document forgery, stating that Kanga is actually Kiaku-Kiaku Kianga, born in Kinshasa, DR Congo, on October 5, 1985. The investigation into this matter has caused further confusion, the report further elaborated.

Now, the investigation launched by CAF requires Guélor Kanga to appear before the committee and clarify his role in the incident before AFCON 2024 begins.

With 64 caps and three goals for Gabon, Guélor Kanga has been instrumental for the national team, which also includes Aubameyang from Marseille and Mario Lemina from Wolverhampton.