FIFA will on Tuesday October 22 commence random MRI test on at least four players from each of the participating countries in the Brazil 2019 U-17 World Cup finals in a renewed move to stem cheating in age group tournaments, Completesports.com reports.
Senegalese ofdicial on Monday strongly denied inclusion of overage players in their 21-man squad for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup finals.
The West African nation is one of the four countries representing Africa at the tournament after Guinea were disqualified at the the CAF U17 Nations Cup in Tanzania in April overage fraud.
Ahead of their Group D opening fixture against the USA, there has been media backlash back home with allegations that overage players have been included in the squad. But the Football Senegal Federation, FSF, has vehemently denied it with Secretary General of FSF, Victor She Cisse, issuing a statement denying any wrongdoing.
“The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) wishes to inform the public that, to date, no player from the U-17 national team selected for the FIFA World Cup ‘Brazil 2019’ has been denied because of fraud on the ground of age as has been relayed by some local media,” the Senegalese football ruling body said in a statement signed by its Secretary, Victor She Cisse.
Senegal are in group D of the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament alongside USA, Japan and Holland.They will get their campaign underway on October 27 against USA. Senegal made only three alterations from their squad that featured in the U-17 AFCON in Tanzania last April.Coach Malick Daf chalked off the names of midfielder El Hadji Gueye, strikers Meleye Diagne and Ousmane Diallo from the Brazil bound squad.He replaced them with Mamadou Aliou Diallo, Mbaye Ndiaye and Ibrahima Sy who plies his trade in France.The Brazil 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup finals kicks off October 26 and will end on November 17.
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will begin quest to win a record sixth FIFA U-17 World Cup title on Saturday with rheir first Group B match against Hungary at the Estadio Olimpico, Goiania.
The Manu Garba’s team will clash with Ecuador on Tuesday, 29 October also in Goiania . They will face Australia in their last group game on Friday, 1 November at Estadio Bezerrao, Brasilia.
By Sab Osuji
