Nigeria U-17 Captain Fortune Chukwudi Is 25 - Former Nigeria International Adokiye Amiesimaka

The captain of Nigeria's U17 team is 'about 25 years old' and has no business playing at the current FIFA U17 World Cup, according to a former Nigeria international...

Nov 5, 2009 3:25:43 PM

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Fortune Chukwudi

Former Nigerian international Adokiye Amiesimaka, now a lawyer, has used his column in a national newspaper to voice his concerns over Nigeria under-17 captain Fortune Chukwudi, who he claims to be at least nine years older than the player says he is.

"In the 2002-03 season, I was chairman of Sharks Football Club of Port Harcourt," Adokiye wrote in The Punch. "I decided to have a feeder team of fresh school leavers not older than 20 years."

"As the feeder team concept was relatively new and because I had my own ideas about how a team at that level should be handled, I also doubled as its coach.

"One of my key players then is the current captain of our so-called U17 Golden Eaglets. By his own admission at that time, that is seven years ago, he was 18 years old."

The revelations come as a blow to tournament organisers, who introduced MRI tests specifically to weed out age cheats at this year's edition in Nigeria.

"MRI or not, his football history is common knowledge. I really wonder whether the MRI test was done on each and every one of the players. If, indeed, a thorough exercise was conducted, then FIFA must review the procedure."

Stefan Coerts, Goal.com

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