Former Ghana and Asante Kotoko midfielder Kofi Ntow Gyan has publicly admitted that he reduced his age during his professional career.
My ‘football age’ is 50 but my firstborn is 47 years – Ex-Ghana midfielder Ntow Gyan
According to him, although his official date of birth suggests he’s 50 years old, even his first son is currently 47.
Age-cheating used to be a huge issue in Africa, with some players previously disqualified from youth tournaments after failing MRI scans.
In recent years, however, there have been fewer cases of age cheating, although CAF and FIFA have been taking measures to completely eradicate it.
Speaking on the subject, Kotoko legend Ntow Gyan revealed that he also reduced his age during his active days as a footballer.
“Now, because of the issue of football age, I prefer not to mention my age so people won’t know the real me, because I have reduced my actual age by 10 to 15 years. The age I am currently using is 50, but my son, who is my firstborn, is 47 years old,” he said on Peace FM.
“Just look at that; it is impossible for me to have done it. That is what I have used officially, so it is impossible to change it. Can you imagine me and my son’s ages?”
Meanwhile, Gyan has previously been on a campaign against age-cheating, insisting no footballer benefits from it.
“Let us be honest with ourselves: age cheating is not benefiting us as a footballing nation. We need to put an end to it, as that is the only way we can genuinely focus on football development and improve our game,” he rallied during last year’s All-Star Festival organised by the Business Africa Consulting (The BAC) Group.
Meanwhile, Gyan is the second Ghanaian footballer to publicly admit to reducing his age after former Hearts of Oak midfielder Joe Tagoe also said the same last year.
