After wrist scans revealed that several of its players were over the age restriction, Djibouti and Sudan were kicked out of regional qualifiers for the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Before the start of the qualifications in Ethiopia, the Council for East and Central African Football Associations (Cecafa) used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the wrists of participants to precisely determine their true age.
Cecafa executive director Auka Gecheo said the Confederation of African Football (Caf), the continent’s governing body, had approved the disqualification of the two teams in accordance with U17 Nations Cup regulations.
According to Caf’s tournament regulations, “if after executing the age eligibility test (MRI) for a participating team, one player is deemed ineligible, the participating team will be disqualified.”
The Cecafa tournament, which began on Monday in Addis Ababa, will now feature six countries.
Over the weekend, a new draw was held, leaving each group with three teams.
Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Somalia will compete in Group A, with Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan in Group B.
The event in Ethiopia will choose Cecafa’s two representatives at the 2023 U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria, with the finals set for next April also serving as African qualifiers for next year’s U17 World Cup in Peru.
Since the commencement of age-group games in Africa, the issue of teams fielding over-aged players has been a big discussion topic.
Poor systems and processes have resulted in poor record keeping across the continent, resulting in birth certificates that are frequently incorrect or unavailable.
Cheating claims are common, and many of Africa’s international successes in junior tournaments have been tainted by allegations of using underage players, but strategies to combat it have been implemented.
Fifa, the world’s governing body, began employing MRI scans at the U17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009, focusing on players’ wrists to determine their ages.
Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, and Sierra Leone have been significant Sub-Saharan African offenders over the years.
Ghana was barred from the next two Women’s U17 World Cup qualifying tournaments and fined $100,000 earlier this year after being found guilty of age fraud.
