Nigeria Drop 15 Players For Age Cheating Ahead Of U-17 World Cup

The host country for this year's FIFA Under-17 World Cup have axed 15 players after they were discovered to be above the age allowed for the competition.

Aug 26, 2009 8:40:02 AM

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Nigeria have dropped 15 players after a Magnetic Resonance Test, known as MRI, found them to be above the allowed age for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which the country will stage in October.

Nigeria Under-17 coach, John Obuh, disclosed that the affected players have been decamped, leaving him with 23 other players who fall within the allowed age.

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The players dropped are Kabiru Borgo, Abiodun Akanda, Ariyo Olubukola, Habeeb Bello, Deji Joel, Yakubu Azeez, Ogungbe Ganiyu, Orji Kalu, Justice Chinedu, Chinedu Udegha, Amadi Moses, Solomon Enudi, Dubem Awaziem, Esse Joseph Junior and Olaitan Gambari.

President of the Nigeria football Federation (NFF), Sani Lulu, insisted that the country will still raise a formidable team for the World Cup in October.

"We have about 38 players in camp, some of them failed (the age test), does not mean that we do not have a team that will represent us at the World Cup or that we have a crisis. We still have a good team," insisted Lulu.

Nigeria have won the Under-17 tournament thrice, in 1985, 1993 and 2007.

For this year's competition, they are drawn against Germany, Argentina and Honduras in the first round.

Samm Audu, Goal.com

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