Manchester United‘s new signing Amad Diallo has been fined £42,000 in Italy over allegations he used fake documents and bogus parents to move to Europe from Ivory Coast.
Diallo was in the United squad for the first time for Tuesday night’s FA Cup tie against West Ham following his £37million move from Atalanta.
The FIGC, Italian football’s governing body, has handed out the fine after the 18-year-old winger and his brother Hamed – who plays for Serie A side Sassuolo – accepted a plea bargain to avoid a ban.
Amad Diallo has been fined £42,000 in Italy over allegations he used falsified documents and bogus parents to help his move from the Ivory Coast in 2015
Diallo completed a £37million move to United from Atalanta in the January transfer window
Diallo wasn’t able to move to Old Trafford until January while he obtained an Italian passport and waited to be issued with a UK visa and work permit
A statement said that the two players used ‘false certifications that had allowed them to reunite in Italy with fictitious parents’.
It added: ‘The two requested “the application of the sanction pursuant to art. 126 of the Code of Sports Justice”, that is, the plea bargain: the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has thus imposed a penalty of 48 thousand euros for Amad Diallo and another 48 thousand euros for Hamed Traore.’
The investigation looked into allegations that a child trafficking ring of five adults smuggled the two boys into Italy on a family visa six years ago, including two who falsely claimed to be their mother and father – Hamed Mamadou Traore and Marina Edwige Carine Teher.
The false documents were said to have been used so Diallo could sign for junior club Boca Barco in 2015 and Atalanta three years later.
It is also alleged that Amad Diallo Traore was not the player’s real name and Hamed may not even be his brother.
Having dropped the name Traore on his 18th birthday last July and legally changed it to Diallo in September, he decided to have Amad on the back of his shirt at United.
The move went through in October after United agreed to pay £19m plus a further £18m in add-ons to Atalanta, but Diallo wasn’t able to move to Old Trafford until January while he obtained an Italian passport and waited to be issued with a UK visa and work permit.
The teenager was fast-tracked into United’s first-team squad after scoring twice on his debut for the club’s Under-23 team against Liverpool last week and then making three assists in his second game against Blackburn.
Diallo was an unused substitute in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford, but is expected to make his senior debut soon.
Diallo’s brother, Hamed, plays for Serie A side Sassuolo and was also hit with a fine
Diallo, playing for United’s U23 side (left), is expected to make his senior debut soon
However, he has remained under investigation in Italy as part of the probe launched by the prosecutor’s office in Parma.
Although Diallo and his brother – who were both questioned and gave DNA samples – could not be charged because they were under 18 at the time of the alleged offences, it did not prevent the Italian FA from taking further action.
Comparisons have been drawn with former Chievo winger Eriberto, who was banned for four months in 2002 – the same year Diallo was born in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan – after the Brazilian admitted to lying about his name, age and passport to secure a new life in Italy.
Diallo and his brother avoided a similar punishment with the plea bargain that was confirmed in full by the FIGC.
It read: ‘Having regard to the communication from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office concerning the decision to conclude the investigations referred to in Case No. 1130 pf 19/20 adopted against Amad Diallo and Hamed Traore, concerning the following conduct.
Diallo was an unused substitute in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford
Diallo has impressed for United’s second string since his move from Serie A side Atalanta
‘Amad Diallo, alias Traore Diallo Amad (born July 11, 2002 in Côte d’Ivoire), in violation of art. 4, paragraph 1, and art. 32, paragraph 7, of the Code of Sports Justice for having allowed, in order to be able to be registered, on January 14, 2015 (sports season 2014/15), with the company A.S.D. Boca Barco, with the name of Traore Diallo Amad, that non-registered subjects (The following Traorè Hamed Mamadou and Teher Marina Edwige Carine) and other subjects to the state not identified, they carried out acts aimed at obtaining false or altered certificates or documents in order to circumvent the rules on entry into Italy and membership, since he was extra-Community, through the reunification to those Ivorian citizens, already resident in Italy, who pretended to be the parent of the player de quo and required their family reunification, using false certifications attesting to the relationship of kinship.
‘For allowing, moreover, in order to be able to conclude the first professional contract with Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio S.p.A., on 11 July 2018, under the false name of Traore Diallo Amad, that other undocumented persons (Mr Traorè Hamed Mamadou and Teher Marina Edwige Carine) performed acts aimed at obtaining false or altered certificates or documents in order to circumvent the rules on entry into Italy and membership, as a non-EU citizen, through the reunification to those Ivorian citizens, already resident in Italy, who pretended to be the parent of the footballer de quo and required their family reunification, using false certifications attesting to the relationship of kinship.
‘Finally, to have himself, to the subsequent memberships with companies affiliated to the F.I.G.C., he continued to use the false certifications that had allowed him to reunite in Italy with fictitious parents.’