15 Jul 2009Nigeria players to have age tests through bone scans

Football Supporters News | Other Football News

Youngsters looking to represent Nigeria during the FIFA Under-17 World Cup will have to undergo bone scans in order to make sure they are in the right age group to take part, the BBC reports.

Nigeria has been prone to a number of accusations in the past questioning whether their players are of the right age to participate in such tournaments.

So, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, president of the Nigeria Football Federation, has highlighted that the age conformation tests should put an end to any such allegations.

He told the BBC: "We will use the MRI bone confirmation tests introduced by FIFA.

"This is important as we want to be sure that we do it correctly and that players who represent Nigeria at underage competitions are actually the ages they claim to be."

Nigeria are three-time winners of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup and will be looking to add to this figure when they host the event in October.

They beat Spain on penalties in the final to win the trophy in South Korea two years ago.

Written by Tom Jenkins

© Copyright