Joseph Manila cleared of age cheating. He's 17 not 42

Lazio midfielder Joseph Minala has been cleared to resume his career after proving he's not a 42-year-old masquerading as a youth team player. The Italian FA launched an investigation after an African football website claimed that Cameroon-born Minala was pretending to be 17 and had altered his passport to take a full 25 years of his actual birth date That led to an official investigation which saw him questioned by the league's federal prosecutor. However a statement released by the Italian association on Wednesday confirmed that Minala has been cleared and is now free to resume his career. 'The federal prosecutor has examined the report and ordered the investigation to be closed,' the statement read. 'There are no doubts about his age. He is 17.' Minala came in for abuse on social networking sites after releasing a picture showing him looking much older than his teenage years.