Cosafa Under-17 players to undergo mri tests

ALL the players taking part in the TotalEnergies Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Cosafa qualifier in Johannesburg, South Africa this week will undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) assessments to confirm their eligibility to compete.

This will be done under the watchful eye of leading sports physician Thulani Ngwenya, who is a Confederation of African Football (Caf) medical commission member and Cosafa Medical Officer.

Ngwenya, who is a medical doctor is a leading expert on the African continent and has taken a more hands-on role with the process this year.

The tests are used to ensure the players are within the required birth date range for the competition, which is players born after January 1, 2008.

Four teams had a problem in the Cosafa Qualifiers for the TotalEnergies Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in 2021.

Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini and Zimbabwe were all excluded from the competition in 2020 after one or more players failed the MRI assessment.

In an online interview with Cosafa, Ngwenya explained the importance of the tests for boys.

“MRI is a Fifa-approved method used to determine eligibility to play in the Under-17 age group. The images are taken on the non-dominant wrist, which is usually the left hand. The image takes about nine “slices” of the growth plate.

“There are different stages of grading the growth plate, from one to six. Grade Six is the last stage where the growth plate is completely fused. For Under-17 tournaments, everyone who is a Grade Six is therefore deemed ineligible to participate in this age-group category. The Confederation of African Football introduced this method to make our sport fair and a level playing field.”

Ngwenya also pointed out that a Grade Six result does not necessarily mean a player is “over-age”.

“This is an eligibility assessment, not an age determination assessment,” he said.

There have also been questions as to why the MRI tests are conducted on boys only.

“Girls have a natural situation of a menstrual cycle that really affects the development of their bones and directly affects their bone density,” he said.

The pending MRI assessment is a development that has been welcomed by ex-Highlanders and Railstars player Collin Nyambiya.

“I personally think this is a good idea. Age-cheating is a cancer that has negatively impacted on the game. It is always advisable to uphold good morals all to nature future football stars,” said Nyambiya who is the director of Young Stars Football Academy.

His sentiments were echoed by ex-Mighty Warriors captain Nomsa “Boyz” Moyo.

“It’s a good idea. Players should always play in their rightful ages. There is no wisdom in using over-aged players when we are trying to develop talent. Talent should be nurtured as opposed to wanting to win competitions at all costs after cheating,” said Moyo.

The TotalEnergies Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Cosafa qualifier kicks-off on Wednesday with the final to be played on December 13.

The two finalists will seal their place at the continental competition which is to be staged in Ivory Coast next year. —@FungaiMuderere