According to press reports in Italy, AC Milan are being taken to court for fraud after it emerged that a 19-year-old youth team player lied about his age.
Yusupha Yaffa, who hails from Gambia and claims to be 19, first signed for the Rossoneri in 2013 and went straight into their academy set-up.
Currently playing for German side MSV Duisburg, Yaffa is now being summoned back to Milan to face fraud charges after it emerged he’s alleged to actually be 28.
Oggi è scoppiato il caso Yusupha #Yaffa. Io già tre anni fa scrissi di qualche incongruenza che lo riguardava… pic.twitter.com/VLRfH9aHqN
— Sciabolata Morbida (@sciabolatablog) January 16, 2016
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Yaffa is claiming that he misplaced his personal papers when he turned up at the immigration office at the Cuneo police department in Italy in 2009. He claimed he was only 12 years old at the time, born on 31 December, 1996.
Here’s the pleasingly literal translation provided by Google:
The former Milan player would have claimed to have lost the documents several times. A trick, according to the indictment, used to rejuvenate.
However, former schoolmates subsequently recognised Yaffa after his photo circulated on Facebook. It has since been revealed that he was indeed born on 14 November, 1987 – making his 21 at the time of his arrival in Cuneo.
While the prosecution are keen to press on and , the defence are holding up proceedings by insisting that the trial take place in a juvenile court.
You couldn’t make it up.