Dortmund are said to have been made aware of alleged age fraud

The age of the youngest Bundesliga player and goalscorer in history has been repeatedly questioned. Now Youssoufa Moukoko's alleged father has admitted fraud and condemned Borussia Dortmund.

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Discussions about Youssoufa Moukoko's age are nothing new. However, the latest developments surrounding the Germany international's case have been particularly explosive. As revealed in a ProSieben documentary, Mukoko's father is said to have lied about the striker's age.

Joseph Moukoko admitted as much to the show's producers, “Cheating, cheating, cheating – the million-dollar business of football talent”. Therefore, he is not Yusufa Mukoko's biological father, but just forged a certificate and pretended to be his father.

“I got him a fake birth certificate in Yaoundé. Then I went to the embassy, ​​got him a passport and took him to Germany as my son,” said Joseph Mukoko Adding: “We made him four years younger.” The current Nice pro was actually born on July 19, 2000, not November 20, 2004, as his official documents state.

Joseph Mukoko is clearly not Yusufa’s father.Picture: www.imago-images.de

The 73-year-old Cameroonian not only admitted this to the film's producers, but also stated so in an affidavit. “Bild” quoted it as saying: “Aware of the criminal liability of false affidavits, I swear (…): Yusufa Mukoko is not the biological son of me and my wife Mary Mukoko. Nor is he the 2004 Born in Yaounde, Cameroon, on 20 November 2016.” The statement contrasted with Joseph Moukoko's earlier testimony. As recently as November 2022, he assured the court: “Youssoufa Mukoko is the biological son of me and my wife Mary Mukoko. He was born on November 20, 2004, in Yaounde, Cameroon.”

Based on the new submissions, the entire case could be reopened. If Mukoko is actually four years older than him, not only will his record as the youngest player and goalscorer in Bundesliga history be canceled, but titles and awards may also be in jeopardy. In 2018, 14-year-old Mukoko won the U17 championship with Dortmund. He also scored a goal in the 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich in the final. In addition, he is no longer allowed to play as a player for the U21 national team.

Historic debut: One day after his 16th birthday, Youssoufa Moukoko made his Bundesliga debut.Picture: www.imago-images.de

Joseph Moukoko's comments have also put pressure on Dortmund. So the club will know the wrong age. The club is also aware of the fact that he is not the biological father. “They know it,” Joseph Mukoko explained, “and Lars Riken knows it too.” Sports director Sebastian Kehl even received Mukoko's notification himself.

Ricken, the current managing director of Dortmund, had previously served as the youth training coordinator for a long time and has served as the head of the youth training department since November 2020. The signing of Youssoufa Moukoko in 2016 came during his tenure. Two years later, Kyle returned to the club where he had played for 13 years.

Joseph Moukoko also talks in the documentary about the fictional contract the Bundesliga club signed with the couple. He worked as a video analyst and scout for Borussia Dortmund, while his wife Marie was employed by an advertising company working for Evonik, then Borussia Dortmund's shirt sponsor. “We didn't work, we got money this way,” said Joseph Moukoko. Dortmund alone reportedly earned 10,000 euros a month at first and later 20,000 euros. Dortmund signed these contracts because Youssoufa Moukoko was officially only 11 years old when he moved to Dortmund from St Pauli in July 2016 and therefore lacked legal capacity.

Dortmund called Bild's claims “completely inaccurate.” Dortmund on Friday denied the claims made by Mukoko's father. “Please note that both the players and biological parents identified in the above documents have stated to us, and in the case of parents, even to third parties through affidavits in the course of legal proceedings, that what is correct in the above official documents”, he stated in the announcement said in. This is “very important” for Dortmund, the German Football Association and the loan club Nice.

Mukoko has also represented the German national team twice.Picture: www.imago-images.de

Among other things, the club referred to Joseph Moukoko's German birth certificate issued for Yusofa in February 2016 by the Hamburg regional office. In assessing the case, authorities had to rely on existing documents from Cameroon's capital, Yaounde. The district office will now conduct a new assessment as well.

If Moukoko's age is revised from 20 to 24, Dortmund will face significant losses even if the club is not aware of the fraud. The striker is currently worth €18 million, which would likely have dropped significantly had he been four years older. Nice are also unlikely to use their €17m purchase option in the summer. In this case, Dortmund will have to pay the rumored salary of 8.5 million euros for another year – Mukoko's contract does not expire until the summer of 2026.

Mukoko himself has yet to comment on the new accusations. The documentary shown on ProSieben on Sunday night also showed that he was not an isolated case. It is apparently common practice in many African countries to manipulate the age of young players to increase their worth and thus make money. At the beginning of 2023, 21 players were removed from the Cameroon under-17 national team for failing to pass the age test.