NATIONAL silence has enveloped the discovery that three players in the national U-17 team representing the country at the CAF U-17 competition in Morocco were disqualified. They failed the age detecting test CAF conducted at the competition venue.
There is no shortage of excuses for the disgrace that the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, has again brought to the country on this matter.
It is no longer a secret that the NFA does not pay adequate attention to forestall the decision of age cheats, who some officials aid to get into teams, in anticipation of the rewards that await them after a good performance at the competition.
Others see the U-17 competition as a good stepping stone in professional careers that are built on nothing than deceit. Why should someone who could be in the twilight of his 20s claim to be under 17, all in a bid to play professional football?
Many things have been said about the poor standards Nigeria brings to international competitions and the unfulfilled expectations of our young players being among the next generation of footballers who would hold the global sphere with their skills.
The pretence that the age cheating problem does not exist because FIFA has elected not to be involved in our mess is not enough defence. When Nigerian officials field over-aged players for youth competitions, they compromise the future of Nigerian football, they create the false impression of a bright future and they get awards for cheating.
In 2009 when Nigeria hosted the FIFA U-17 competition, Chief Adokiye Amiesimaka, a notable contributor to the Green Eagles 1980 Nations Cup victory, former Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, proved in his weekly column that Fortune Chukwudi, captain of Nigeria's FIFA U-17 World Cup team was over aged. He was vilified to no end! How many members of that team progressed to the senior national team?
It would not be acceptable under the euphoria of celebrating the current U-17 team's victories in the competition to ignore the disgrace from Morocco. It is a confirmation that the NFA has not made a firm decision to wipe out age cheating. After hosting the 2009 competition, it had the machines used for the test.
Why did it not test its players before fielding them for the competition? The National Sports Commission, to which the NFA reports, should sanction the culprits. Age cheating has persisted for so long because Nigeria neither punishes the cheating players nor the officials who aid them.
The world used to be concerned, and then laughed at us. Now, its attitude is to ignore us. We cannot ignore those who steadily lead Nigeria to perfidy.
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