Age-cheating mars AYC

Confederation of African football officials have been trying to douse tension at the on-going African youth championship as controversy rage over the true ages of some the players fielded by participating countries.

Veteran sports journalist Mark Gleesson remarked that football agents who are on the look out for fresh talents at the tournament are not impressed by the players they are seeing.

“An agent stalking around the Johannesburg hotel this week housing many of the teams in this week’s African under_20 championship tells me they are most athletic looking under_20_year_olds he’s ever seen.

“By all accounts the size and facial maturity of the supposed under_20s makes a mockery of a supposed age group event.

I hope it is an exaggeration but for too long now, age cheating has been the scourge of the African game, creating false realities and expectations and leaving an air of suspicion over every African footballer who goes to play overseas,” Glesson observed.

However, CAF secretary-general Hicham El_Amrani, said that there was no way the continental soccer ruling body could verify the ages of the players scientifically.

“We can only rely on the information on the passport of the players. This is not like the U-17 tournament where we use the MRI to scientifically verify the true age of the player.”