Manchester United’s new Cote d’Ivoire 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.
The FIGC, Italian football’s governing body, handed out the fine after Diallo, 18, winger and his brother Hamed – who plays for Serie A side Sassuolo – accepted a plea bargain to avoid a ban.
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.”
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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.
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.
