U-17 Cecafa tourney rocked by age-cheating row
The ongoing Under-17 Cecafa Championships in Burundi have been rocked by allegations of age-cheating.
Already, the tournament organisers have expelled Zanzibar from this competition for fielding over aged nine players.
Ethiopia too, have faced punishment, including a fine and and expulsion of three players.
Nevertheless, claims age-cheating have continued to fly around even as the tournament nears conclusion.
OLD PLAYERS
A source within the Kenyan team’s camp in Burundi suggests there is a feeling the likes of Somalia and Uganda have been parading players who are as old as 20 years.
“Age cheating is a big problem in African football. We can prove these claims if handed a chance but then these are about morals and not entirely playing to win a football match at all costs. I guess their deeds will catch up with them at some point,” the source said.
Kenya, under coach Mike Amenga lost 2-1 to Tanzania in the semi-finals, and had earlier on also suffered a 1-0 loss to Somalia in the group stages.
Meanwhile, Somalia and Tanzania will contest the tournament’s final on Sunday, as Kenya and Uganda compete in the third position play-off.
The tournament is funded by Fifa towards development of talent in countries from the country.