Stuttgart's Wamangituka played under fake identity after agent 'manipulation'

Stuttgart top scorer Wamangituka reveals real name, age-club [photo courtesy]

VfB Stuttgart striker Silas Wamangituka has revealed to his club that his name and birth date are different and that the data had been changed years ago by a former agent who was controlling him as a teenager, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.

The forward told the club he had been living in fear since leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo at the age of 17 to play for French lower league club Ales.

"It was a difficult step for me to reveal my story," the striker said in a club statement. "Only through the support of my new advisor did I dare do this."

He said his real name was Silas Katompa Mvumpa and his birth date was a year later, from 1999 to 1998, making him now 22-years-old.

He said the personal data had been changed by a player agent in Belgium who had full control of his bank account and possession of his passport.

Stuttgart said they were fully behind the player and had the name of the player agent in question.

"We took all measures immediately and alerted all necessary authorities after Silas told us," Stuttgart sports director Thomas Hitzlsperger said.

"We make this case public to underline that we are proceeding in a transparent way."

The striker joined Stuttgart in 2019 and scored 11 goals in the most recent season, making him his team's top scorer.

Silas Wamangituka has scored 21 goals in 58 games since joining Stuttgart in 2019 Ronny Hartmann AFP/File

Stuttgart's Wamangituka played under fake identity after agent 'manipulation'- AFP

Stuttgart's Congolese attacker Silas Wamangituka has been playing under a false identity, the Bundesliga club announced on Tuesday.

Wamangituka's real name is Silas Katompa Mvumpa and was born on 6 October 1998 in Kinshasa, and not a year later as claimed in his documents.

"Striker Silas Wamangituka recently made it known to the club that he had been the victim of manipulation by his former player agent and that Wamangituka is not his real name," they said.

"With the support of Stuttgart and a new agent, Silas has been working intensively on clearing up the situation and finally received the corresponding official documentation from Democratic Republic of Congo a few days ago," they added.

Wamangituka, who scored 13 goals in 27 games last season to help Stuttgart to a mid-table finish, had a trial with Belgian side Anderlecht in 2017 and he claimed he was pressured to move to Paris by his former representative.

He joined second-tier Paris FC and then moved to Stuttgart 2019.

"Over the past few years, I was constantly living in fear and was also very worried for my family in Congo," he said.

"It was a tough step for me to take to make my story public and I would never have had the courage to do so if Stuttgart, my team and Stuttgart had not become like a second home and a safe place to me," he added.

Stuttgart said they were in contact with the German league and the country's national association to clear up the situation.

"Thanks to his considerable efforts to clear up the situation, Silas now has a valid Congolese passport with his correct personal details," they said.

"It is in the interests of both Silas and Stuttgart to ensure that the situation is handled correctly from hereon in," they added.