Age-related controversy seems to hound Jamshepdur FC forward Gourav Mukhi whenever he makes his mark in tournaments.

This time, the controversy has been triggered by ISL’s claim that Mukhi, at 16, was the youngest scorer in the tournament’s history when he scored his debut goal against Bengaluru FC on Sunday.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Tuesday that its players’ status committee would investigate allegations of age “discrepancy” against Mukhi, which reared its head after the ISL’s announcement.

Mukhi’s further participation in the cash-rich tournament will become doubtful if the players’ status panel finds that the JFC forward was not 16 and he is slapped with a suspension order by the disciplinary committee of the AIFF.

Though JFC officials said too much should not be read into Mukhi’s age-related issues, Jharkhand Football Association (JFA) said the player’s participation might be in jeopardy.

“We should not focus on the negative side of the issue. We should appreciate Mukhi’s show in the tie against Bangalore. We have gone by the documents submitted by the player. His (Mukhi) passport and birth certificate say he is 2002 born. Mukhi’s documentary evidence is very clear about his actual age. Moreover, ISL is an open tournament and, so, we don’t think there is any need to initiate disciplinary action,” an official said on the condition of anonymity.

The documentary evidence related to Mukhi’s age notwithstanding, his suspension may come into play if the disciplinary committee goes ahead with medical tests and finds him overage.

JFA secretary Ghulam Rabbani feared stern measures by the AIFF displinary panel might effect Mukhi’s participation in the ISL. “Investigations by the players’ status panel is quite a lengthy process. It can taken anywhere between 10 days and two months. There is surely doubts about Mukhi’s further participation in ISL if the panel goes ahead with stern measures. Suspension could range from six months or two years,” he added.

Rabbani experessed doubt that Mukhi was 16.

“I know Mukhi for over a decade. He doesn’t look like 16 for sure,” he said.

Jamshedpur-based Mukhi, one of the hottest prospects in the Indian football circuit in 2015, and four other footballers from Jharkhand failed age verification tests when they were called for the national under-17 trials.

Prior to this, Mukhi had scored five goals in Jharkhand’s 8-3 win over hosts Goa in the final match of National Sub-junior Championship. That was the time when India was building its squad for the 2017 under-17 World Cup, and Mukhi’s performance impressed the scouts.

The AIFF summoned him and his four teammates for a selection trial to join the U-17 squad at the National Academy in Goa. Just before the trials, five Jharkhand players, including Mukhi, confessed to being overage, resulting in the AIFF stripping Jharkhand off the title and suspending all five players for two years.

The state association was slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh.