adminTadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
LEGENDARY footballer Innocent Mugabe has condemned rampant age-cheating currently bedeviling the Harare Elite Junior League.
His academy, BJM has since withdrawn from that league where teams are bent on doing well rather than prioritising player development.
The UK-based former CAPS United and Air Zimbabwe Jets player has already issued a statement confirming his team’s pulling out from the development league.
“Further to discussions in recent days, I have written to the Harare Elite Junior Football Development League to confirm that with immediate effect, the BJM Academy will no longer be part of this league.
“The reason for this decision is that we need to protect our children. Using over-aged players against young children is totally unacceptable and has already led to one player from another team being significantly injured – it is abuse,” read the statement. “It is my responsibility to protect the children from BJM Academy.
“BJM Academy will become a private organisation and won’t be affiliated to any football league, we will continue to train as usual and will participate in friendly matches to help develop players’ ability.
“Training will only be available to players who are registered under the BJM Academy on ZIM Connect – anyone willing to be part of the project is welcome.”
Age-cheating continues to be a cancer in the local football circles across all leagues including the top-flight as players and administrators alike want to play with an advantage.
Recently, Dynamos were in the eye of a storm after being booted out of the Marvelous Nakamba Foundation Under-17 invitational tournament in Bulawayo.
The Glamour Boys, who had done well to top their four-team group, were accused of using an over-aged player Dylan Gumbe.
And after extensive consultations, the tournament organisers decided to expel DeMbare from the two-day competition.
The Harare giants subsequently conducted internal investigations which found out that Gumbe was really an age cheat and had hoodwinked the club administration and technical team before he was hired for the competition.
According to a highly-placed source at the club, investigations had found out that the Under-17 coach Lloyd “Mablanyo” Chigowe had been complicit in the case.
The club had resolved to fire him but he resigned before that decision could be reached.
Chigowe, though, said he had resigned because he needed to concentrate on a new portfolio he has been given in the running of junior football not because he feared he would be dismissed by Dynamos over the age-cheating saga.
Besides Dynamos, Njube Sundowns and the Marvelous Nakamba tournament winners MAJESA of Mutare were also accused of using over-aged players as the Glamour Boys’ situation opened a can of worms.
The tournament was actually under threat to end prematurely had the organisers decided to be thorough in their vetting.
Even in schools’ tournaments, age-cheating is the order of the day.
Wedza-based Chemhanza High School had to return home early in 2018 when all but one of their players were vetted out in the Copa Coca-Coca Mashonaland East Provincial finals at St Francis of Assis in Chivhu.
Rusununguko High played with nine men after all the other players they had carried for the national Copa Coca-Cola finals in Bindura were barred in 2017.
And the NASH president, Arthur Maphosa, last week reiterated the need for school heads to ensure their institutions shun from using over-aged players when he was giving his remarks during the launch of the Proton-Surrey Under-20 tournament in Marondera.
Online Reporter