Ex-Barcelona player investigated over claims his twin played matches instead of him

An ex-Barcelona footballer is being investigated after a claim that he got his twin brother to play in his place.

From Lionel Messi to Xavi Hernandez, some of the best footballers in the world have been through Barcelona’s academy system.

For many, their careers in football have flourished, but for defender Edgar Ié, his career has gone in a slightly different direction as he is currently under investigation for potential fraud by his current club Dinamo Bucharest.

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that the Romanian football club is investigating whether Ié had his twin brother play in his place on five occasions.

30-year-old Ié signed for the club in February to assist the club as they fought against relegation from the country’s top flight of football.

But, an investigation has thrown up the question of whether it was Edgar who actually arrived, as some people suspect it may have been his twin brother Edelino Ié.

The story was investigated by journalist Daniel Sendre, after suspicion was raised due to the player only being able to communicate in Portuguese, despite having played for various clubs in France, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands.

Conversely, Edelino has spent all of his footballing career in Portugal. Suspicions were raised further when the player refused to show the football club his driving licence.

According to a source from the Romanian Football Federation, a DNA test may have to be initiated to resolve any confusion.

If proven to be true, the incident could be viewed as fraud. In addition, if Dinamo are found to have been aware of it, they could face a points deduction for the games in which the wrong twin was found to be playing in.

However, punishment for the club could be avoided if they are able to prove they did not know about it.

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