This is the moment a Brazilian athlete is caught with an apparently fake ID at an airport in Istanbul, Turkey.

Brazilian national Stanley Zeregbe, 25, told authorities that his ID was original but must have been damaged when it went through a washing machine.

He had been caught with an apparently fake French identity document at Istanbul airport.

This was after he arrived in the city on a plane travelling from Berlin in Germany on Friday, August 26th, according to local media.

The athlete is a defender for the European League of Football (ELF), an American football league with headquarters in Germany and he was travelling with his team on a flight that landed in Istanbul at 2.55pm local time.

The team reportedly came to Istanbul to play a show match and attend a special festival.

In the video, he is seen passing through a security check.

A police officer proceeds to scrutinise his ID with a “purple light device” before reportedly discovering that it was fake.

The ID card states that the athlete was born in Saint Denis, France while a small cut on top of the ID photo was found on the ID card by the Istanbul Branch Police Department, according to reports.

Zeregbe was then taken into custody where he made a statement accompanied by an interpreter.

He allegedly stated: “My identity card is original, not fake.

“It was washed in the washing machine because it was in my pocket.

“It may have been worn out.”

Zeregbe was then taken back to Germany where he lives while further investigations into the matter have revealed that the young man likely travelled to France illegally several years ago.

The athlete will be sent to France where a detailed investigation into the matter will be carried out, according to reports.