The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has ordered players that featured at the last CAN Under-17 tournament in Morocco as well as their counterparts picked from the screening exercise to undergo the mandatory Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan before reporting at
the team’s Princeville Hotel Camp which opens on Monday (July 22) in Calabar.
Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, the Federation’s Director Technical, informed that it is imperative that some of the players that won the Silver medal last April be subjected to the MRI scan yet again since
confirmation is needed to determine their present status.
The MRI test has become a regular feature at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup since 2009 to help ascertain whether players are over age or not and Dr. Ikpeme said the NFF will follow the rule as stipulated by the world soccer ruling body, FIFA, to the letter.
“We are conscious of the fact that only players within the stipulated age brackets would be allowed to compete at the FIFA World Cup,” he said. “As a result, we are equally extending the MRI test to some of the players that represented the country in Morocco.”
It was learnt that only players that fall between Grade 1 and 5 of the MRI scan are eligible for the world championship consequently the need for an empirical test to ascertain the
veracity of those who were in Grades 3-5 during the African Cadet
Championship in Morocco.
“We are taking every necessary step to avoid any untoward incident at the World Cup especially when we were informed by our medical team that the MRI scan deals with the rate of bone growth which cannot be determined on face value,” Ikpeme further explained.
All the shortlisted 30 players and numerous others on standby are due in Abuja to undergo the MRI scan at the Abuja National Hospital before proceeding to Calabar to begin preparation in earnest for the trip to UAE in October. Meanwhile, Mr. Oswald Atuake, Vice Chairman of Cross River State FA has said all necessary arrangements have been made for the Golden
Eaglets to enjoy their stay in Calabar.
“As you know, we don’t do things at half measure in Cross River State especially when our sport-loving Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke (CON), has approved your camping here for the World Cup,” he said. “We are ready and just waiting for the arrival of the team.”
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