It was an especially embarrassing occasion for the proud nation of Cameroon and the ‘Yilmaz Aslanlar’ soccer groups.
Because the U-17 groups put together to play the Central African qualifiers for the Nations Cup this month, 21 of the 30-man squad failed the age checks.
The brand new gamers have been shortly drafted by coach Jean Pierre Fiala, however in one other humiliation, all 11 of the additions have been found to be over their age.
Cameroon’s head of soccer, Samuel Eto’o, has been shaken by the information that 32 gamers in his nation’s Below-17 squad have failed the age checks forward of their recreation this month.
It has confirmed to be an embarrassing occasion for Cameroon soccer federation Fecafoot.
As Cameroon prepares for fixtures in opposition to Congo, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic in only a few days, Fiala scrambles to search out sufficient gamers to pitch a crew.
All of this displays badly on Cameroon and made headlines world wide, however the campaign, led by nationwide hero Samuel Eto’o, to eradicate the follow of tampering with participant data is a honest and noble marketing campaign.
They’re removed from the primary age cheats in soccer. There have been many cases in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, particularly in youth soccer, the place older and due to this fact usually greater and stronger gamers have made the distinction.
Nonetheless, he feels that because of medical know-how, the community is closed to scammers.
In 2009, FIFA launched the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) take a look at to find out if gamers have been over age on the Below-17 World Cup.
In his stint with Fecafoot, Eto’o is desperately making an attempt to repair the age rip-off downside.
MRI scans of gamers’ wrists take a look at how fused their bone construction is, and the checks are thought of 99 p.c correct by age 17.
Former FIFA chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak He co-authored an article on the subject in 2006.
Nigeria was internet hosting the 2009 World Cup and tried to withstand MRI checks. It turned out that the 15 gamers of their roster have been older and needed to be kicked out of the sport.
Regardless of the prevalence of such screenings earlier than continental and world youth tournaments, fairly a number of nations have caught on.
In December 2010, Senegal needed to withdraw three gamers from the under-17 crew for failing the age checks.
Guinea misplaced its spot within the 2019 Below-17 World Cup after the ages of two gamers within the African U-17 Cup have been falsified.
Age or identification fraud stays a serious concern for African soccer as a complete.
In Asia, the place age-determination methods have been launched as early as 2000, age dishonest proved to be frequent.
North Korea, Tajikistan and Iraq have been kicked out of the 2008 AFC U-16 Championship after they and 5 different nations have been discovered to subject older gamers within the qualifiers. Yemen was expelled from the unique event for a similar offense.
However these have been the most recent in a long-running dishonest incident in soccer.
Mexico was disqualified from the 1990 World Cup because of the Cachirules scandal, during which under-20 groups knowingly performed with no less than 4 years older gamers.
Nigeria’s youth groups have been banned by FIFA in 1989 after altering the beginning dates of varied gamers from the 1988 Olympic Video games from certifications seen for a similar gamers in earlier tournaments.
‘Peter Pan’ Cameroonian worldwide Tobie Mimboe is legendary for getting youthful with every passing competitors.
This isn’t the primary time Cameroon has been caught in all of this. There was the humorous case of Tobie Mimboe, nicknamed ‘Peter Pan’, getting youthful with every passing event.
And in 2017, Cameroon federation Fecafoot barred 14 gamers who failed the checks from going to the Below-17 AFCON in Gabon.
Former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea striker Eto’o, who has performed for his nation 118 occasions, vowed to take decisive motion to cease the unlawful follow when he grew to become president of Fecafoot in December 2021.
Remarks after this newest embarrassment made it clear that the MRI checks have been carried out in line with Eto’o’s ‘strict directions’ to finish the falsification of marital standing data that had tarnished Eto’o’s picture previously. The head of Cameroonian soccer.’
So for Cameroon, these short-term pains ought to result in long-term features as they clear up their actions and set an instance for different nations.
Which begs the query – why cheat within the first place?
A easy cause for that is dishonest to win soccer matches and tournaments, the urge for food to realize status from success.
One other idea put ahead is that it leveled the enjoying subject for African footballers who wished to achieve the highest of the sport.
The episode was embarrassing for Cameroon as a nation and its soccer groups.
Expertise scouts from all of Europe’s main golf equipment scour Africa for proficient gamers, and the supply to maneuver there could be transformative for somebody who grew up in poverty with out entry to correct soccer tools or teaching.
It must also be famous that some nations don’t maintain beginning data, so it will be extremely tough to show a participant’s actual age even when they wished to.
However the introduction of near-perfect know-how for figuring out participant ages ought to get rid of the follow – if Cameroon’s high-profile disgrace is not sufficient of a deterrent.