NFF U13/U15 Future Eagles Programme: An Antidote For Age Cheating

South West U13
Photo credit NFF media 

By Janefrances Nweze

Age cheating in Nigerian Football is an issue that dates back to the early eighties it keeps getting more embarrassing as the years roll by.


Maybe we thought it would go away on its own and allowed it eat deep into our football system like cancer in the body.


We have gradually lost confidence in qualifying or playing any age grade tournament with the right players (who are of the official age) bit rather go for players who above the age limit all in a bid to win.

In an interview with ex-international Tajudeen Dosu two years ago on how Nigeria got it right in the years of yore, he noted that players were drawn from schools and they often met in National competitions so they knew themselves and it was easy to draw up the National team from age grade tournaments to the senior national team.


This ensured that the players are within the same age grade and consistent performances made it a lot easier for the coaches during the selection process


However, one may be tempted to say that we are gradually coming to the end of this problem with the NFF/Zenith Bank U13/U15 Future Eagles Stars Championship.


This tournament started with the U13 Future Eagles who have now been promoted to U15.


Now we have players from different zones, playing together and could represent Nigeria in any age grade tournament.


Names like, Sopuru Egesionu, Joshua Nnaji, Moses Aluko, Million Koma, Abdufata Ganiyu, Mohammed Nasiru and Bala Ezekiel in the U13's and Sani Gambo, Favor Akin, Razak Ishola, Chijioke Obi, Dauda Jibril easily come to mind.


Can we conveniently say that this problem has met its appropriate solution?


An interaction with some of the players in the ongoing NFF/Zenith Bank U13/U15 Future Eagles Stars Championship in Kano reveal that this may be the solution to our age long age cheating issues.


It also helps in producing players with a basic educational background that can express themselves very well in the English language.


Mohammed Nasiru of South West team, a student of Mushin Community Senior High school said the "NFF/Zenith Bank U13/U15 Future Eagles Stars Championship is an opportunity for all us not only me. If we can showcase our talent here, by the grace of God all of us shall be in the Super Eagles."


Nasiru is looking beyond the age grade teams and is already thinking about the Super Eagles.


The exciting South West U13 goalkeeper Oladimeji Segun who inspired his side to victory as he stopped 3 Penalties and scored another said he is happy he followed the path of football despite objections from his mother.


He said he has no problem combining football and education adding that he is very happy with the tournament in Kano.


The NFF/Zenith Bank U13/U15 Future Eagles Stars Championship is an opportunity for these players to make friends across tribe, promoting National Unity.


While this may help to curb the issue of age cheating in Nigerian, it requires a totally different technique to improve our quality of play.



Age cheating does not exist only in Men's Football, it is widespread in every facet of Nigerian football. The Nigeria Football Federation will do well to introduce this noble

 idea into women football development so that it can develop and produce future stars for the Super Falcons.

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