Four Chinese players, from Guangzhou Evergrande, Jiangsu Sainty, Dalian Aerbin and Henan Jianye, have been suspended for six months after being found guilty of faking their ages by the Chinese Football Association's disciplinary committee.

Among the quartet, the youngest is 20, while the oldest is 26. They were not fined as they were deemed to be young players and not in the core lineups of their teams, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

All four claimed to be in their teens and playing with their local junior sides, the paper said.

The quartet took part in the 2011 National Intercity Games in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, it said.

"Most players are compelled to fake their age, otherwise they will get no chance to play," the paper quoted an unidentified source as saying.

"The criterion for a club to choose a player is his physical condition, talent and resourcefulness, and it's not a big problem if the player is some years older," a club official told the paper. "But as clubs attach more importance to youth training, age-faking will probably lead to inaccurate expectations and thus damage the club's interests."

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