Home Sports Football German prosecutors accuse soccer player of faking name, age

German prosecutors accuse soccer player of faking name, age

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HAMBURG, Germany — A professional soccer player from Gambia has been charged with using a false identity to breach German immigration law.

German prosecutors said Monday that Bakery Jatta, a Gambian forward who signed for Hamburg in 2016, is actually named Bakary Daffeh and is two-and-a-half years older than his stated age of 23. He has been charged with four breaches of immigration law and one of providing false documents by proxy.

An attorney for Jatta, Thomas Bliwier, told the dpa news agency that his client “has clearly proven his identity” and that he would apply for the case to be dropped.

Prosecutors said Jatta arrived in Germany in 2015 without a passport and gave a date of birth which denoted he was under 18, and that he was therefore classified as a child refugee subject to additional legal protection. He signed for Hamburg in 2016 following a tryout and won renown as a refugee player competing in the Bundesliga. Jatta has played in all of Hamburg’s second-division games this season.

Prosecutors said Jatta previously played for “various African clubs” under the name Daffeh, and that after arriving in Germany he obtained Gambian documents in the name of Jatta.

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Sainey M.K. Marenah
Mr. Sainey M.K. Marenah is a prominent Gambian journalist and the founding editor of The Alkamba Times. He previously held the position of Head of Communications at the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) and served as a Communications and PR Consultant for The Gambia Pilot Program under Gamworks. Additionally, Mr. Marenah was the social media strategist and editor at Gambia Radio and Television Services and served as the Banjul Correspondent for Voice of America Radio. With a focus on human rights and developmental journalism, Mr. Marenah has established a significant presence in the Gambian media landscape, particularly in new media environments. His career began in 2008 as a junior reporter at The Point Newspaper, where he advanced to become Chief Correspondent. He later joined The Standard Newspaper in Banjul as Editorial Assistant and Head of News. Mr. Marenah is known for covering some of the most critical stories during the former and current administrations, including high-profile treason cases involving former military chiefs from 2009 to 2012. After his arrest and imprisonment by the previous regime of President Yahya Jammeh in 2014, he relocated to Dakar, Senegal, where he continues to work as a freelance journalist for various local and international media organizations, including the BBC, Al Jazeera, VOA, and ZDF TV in Germany. He is also a co-founder of the Banjul-based Media Center for Research and Development, an institution dedicated to research and development initiatives. As a journalist and communication expert dedicated to supporting the Gambia's transitional process, Mr. Sainey M.K. Marenah plays a significant role in developing a media and communications platform aimed at enhancing civic participation and raising awareness of the requirements for transitional governance. His efforts contribute to the country's ongoing movement toward democratization. In addition to his work in Gambia, Mr. Marenah has traveled extensively across Europe, Africa, and the United States as a professional journalist and has participated in various local and international media training programs. He is currently based in the United States.

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