A Congolese footballer has been banned for falsifying his age, according to reports from his country.
It has been confirmed that TP Mazembe forward Meschack Elia has been handed a 12-month ban from the DR Congo Football Federation for age fraud, after he allegedly falsified his age by changing his year of birth from 1996 to 1997.
"Very heavy penalty for Meschack Elia! The Congolese player has been banned for one year from all the sports facilities of the national teams of DR Congo, CAF and FIFA. The Congolese Football Federation hit hard after grabbing the file of the player who wanted to have asylum in Switzerland while trying to use a tampered passport, while he was announced doing tests with Anderlecht. Recalling the facts, the TP Mazembe had reported the disappearance of his player, via a statement published on its official website last August," website orangefootballclub.com reports.
According to reports, Elia has been attempting to join BSC Young Boys in Switzerland when he got himself in trouble.
