By Ikeddy Isiguzo
WE may be getting somewhere with this issue of the age of Nigerian football players, or sports people altogether. Not too long ago, depending on your real age, Nigerian players had no reason to tamper with their age since most competitions were open – if you were good enough you weighed in. Juniors, intermediates, and seniors competed for the few opportunities.

I remember cases where juniors were cajoled to leave the spaces for the older competitors who were almost on their way out.

Then, some competitors added some years to their age to make the teams. Not any more. People are being accused of slashing years off their real age. The silence that greets the allegations tend to suggest that those accusations are true.
Little known Nigerian striker Emmanuel Emenike who plays for Karabukspor in Turkey may be breaking new grounds if he really sues the Turkish newspaper that has accused him of being seven years older than the 24 years on his passport.

After scoring 14 goals and helping his side to promotion,  top Italian, Russian, and Turkish clubs  are reportedly interested in him. Among the offers is $14.5million from Fenerbahce.

“I will seek judicial action and call my right. This kind of news will make me leave Turkey. This is sad news that I don’t know where it is coming from and what they want to gain from it,” said Emenike.

I believe he is not a cheat. Not all Nigerians are cheats, but my words mean nothing and cannot be of much help to Emenike’s future, which the publication could damage. He should head to court, we would all be more respected for it

Re: Over-aged  Competitors

Nigeria through her Athletics Federation has perfected a massive measure to go the next African Athletics Championships in Botswana to cheat again. The latest is the importation of 30_year_olds to participate in Championships for 17-year-olds.

They are seriously over aged. They include graduates, serving police and army personnel. What a shame?

You must be 18 years or older to join the police or military. Even if these athletes joined the army or police this year,  they are already over 18 and ineligible for an u_17 competition.

A glaring case is that of a sports prefect of secondary school, Umungasi_Aba, who graduated in 2007 with six credits,  two passes including English and failed one subject.  How old was she when she left secondary school four years ago?

The same girl went to World Youth Athletics Championships last year. What will she gain from competing at the African U-17 meet?

One of our juniors was at the World Universities Games in 2005 and in 2011 is an u_17. There are more cases. I want to see how AFN will defend these allegations.

Olajide Ayodeji Fashikun, Director, Sports Development & Marketing, Nigeria Sports Development Fund Inc, Abuja

My comments

Many of us tend to believe these allegations are made only about football. Other sports are involved. I guess that is one of the points Mr. Fashikun has made. I restrained myself from publishing names. He was more explicit, giving names and tracing the sports careers of the fellows involved. I think he will be willing to give more evidence if approached.

The assumption is that the authorities never knew about the cases he raised.

You may be wondering why I am publishing the letter, simply to draw more people to the campaign against use of over-aged sports people. Nigeria is losing a lot, particularly by investing in people who are in the terminal stages of their competitive lives.

I am very delighted about Emenike trying to fight his case in Turkey. I hope that those who are named in these allegations which Mr. Fashikun says he is ready to defend, will be able to prove their innocence.

Every accused is innocent until convicted of the charges. I have refrained from publishing the names, not just to avoid libel (Emenike is pointing the way) but to protect the accused who may be innocent.

It is still morning in the fight to sanitise our sports and use of over-aged sports people is one area of criminality that hardly gets serious attention. Anyone willing to join the campaign is invited.

We can do with more information about those promoting this menace and how to stop them.