The issue of over-aged players in football is one that our officials, media and other stakeholders in sports prefer not to talk about.
Why, because we are all benefiting from it. For a player, reducing his age will enable him make the national team, thus escaping from poverty. For coaches, using over aged players in under age competitions will lead to overnight success. Nigeria is filled with coaches who are a success in under aged championships but colossal failure at senior level.
For us journalists, we go around the world and boast about our soccer prowess, even though we know we achieve the feat by playing outside the rule. For sports marketers and other stakeholders, the more we win, the merrier, whether you cheat or not is irrelevant.
Akiga and Aggrey differ
Late minister of sports and social development, Steven Ibn Akiga, and his Ghanaian counterpart, Joe Aggrey dared to be different. Akiga would, however, go into the history books as the most senior government official to admit the charade.
Akiga who played football and hockey once said: “We have for a while now been fielding players far above the ages for some international age group competitions. This has not helped our football and as such we must now fight against these age cheats.”
Aggrey also agreed that, “Ghana have cheated in the past, and now bearing the fruits of seeds sown some years ago. In the past, we were cheating and winning, but the right thing must be done now. The plans of the government to develop a new youth policy are welcome.”
As a first step then, Akiga banned players who featured in U-20 competition from featuring in U-17 competition, “I don’t see the sense in a player who has played at U-17 level coming down to play for the U-15, or someone who has featured in the U-20 playing for the U-17after that. It does not make sense,” he had said.
Nigeria banned
There has always been suspicions that Nigeria was using over aged players. This was finally confirmed in 1989, when in December of that year, FIFA bannedus for two years.
Our offences was that in the previous under aged championships, there were discrepancies in the age of our players.
Some of the players mentioned were Dahiru Sadi, Samson Siasia, present coach of the U-20 team that will represent us in Egypt World Youth Championship and Andrew Use.
Dahiru Sadi was in Mexico’83 team, Siasia, then 17, could not make the team because he had to sit for exam at Saint Finbarrs secondary school, Lagos. Before he arrived Mexico, Nigeria had been eliminated.
Two years later, Siasia was in the team that won bronze medal in the Soviet Union. The trio also represented Nigeria at Seoul’88 Olympics Games.
Then, FIFA had not introduced age limit for Olympics football. Member of the Olympic Committee or Football Federation that sent their documents forgot they had participated in previous FIFA championship, so the discrepancies in age led to our being banned for two years.
Another ban imminent
FIFA’s decision to use the MRI machine to test players at Nig’09 WYC has affected our preparation. The Golden Eaglets coaching crew led by John Obuh was reported to have sent packing sixteen members of the team for over-age. With the championship about a month away, we are yet to have a team. We knew the team that won in Korea’ 2007, a year before the championship.
Is the fear MRI responsible for the delay?
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