admin
Mandla Moyo, Sports Reporter
THE National Association of Secondary Heads (Nash) is pondering on the adoption of scientific methods in order to determine the correct age of players as part of efforts to curb age cheating during their tournaments, according to the head in charge of football Albert Mucheka.
This comes after a number of players whose ages “were not clear” found their way into the Under-17 tournament held at Barbourfields recently. This sad predicament not only disheartened the organisers, but also coaches of participating teams as well as young players who felt robbed by men who suddenly appeared at a boys’ event.
“We can’t have a scenario where old players play against their juniors. For that reason I think we need to engage doctors to help us identify those players masquerading as juniors,” said Mucheka.
He also explained that once a team is discovered to be using overaged players in the future they risk being fined or expelled from a tournament.
When asked if Nash has the resources to carry out this prudent exercise, Mucheka was quick to point out that for now they do not have the financial resources to spring into action.
His frustration was also shared by some of the coaches from participating teams who observed that some overaged players might have sneaked their way into the competition.
Age cheating is a thorny issue in sports, particularly in football where a number of players are rumoured to be using their brothers’ birth certificates.
A lot has been said about it with little or no action to nip it in the bud by the responsible authorities.
It is a trend in African football that most of the players have two ages, one known by their parents plus one recognised by the world alongside his football club. This is deliberately done to influence their market value hence they are always changing their passports in order to be born again.
Online Reporter