Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian football

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chief nfachairman
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Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian football

Post by chief nfachairman »

This came out in Vanguard Editorial today.

+++++++++++++++


FOOTBALL is widely acknowledged as the only thing that unites Nigerians. Whenever Nigeria is involved in major international football tournaments, every citizen, from the President to the common person, forgets the many divisive factors wracking our national unity and commits to victory for Nigeria, irrespective of the ethno-religious or sectional backgrounds of the coaches and the players representing the country.

But this sport which is like opium to Nigerians is bedevilled by the odious phenomenon of age cheating by players. This has made it very difficult for Nigeria to consolidate after some exemplary outings such as the gold medal won by our Dream Team squad at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games in the USA. Eagles Age cheating – the act of fielding over-aged players in age group competitions – is a worldwide phenomenon, but far more rampant in Black Africa.

It has taken a heavy toll on our football development. For instance, we have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup five times (more than any other country). But we have only played in two finals of the U-20 since its inception in 1977 in Tunisia! Unlike other countries where genuinely eligible players who go through the age group championships serve at the senior level for upwards of ten years, most Nigerian age group players fizzle out before they break into the Super Eagles, apparently because by then they have become too old.

Most of them who manage to find clubs outside the country play in obscure leagues and are soon no longer heard of. This defeats FIFA’s purpose of instituting the age group tournaments. Nigeria suffered a major international shame in 2016 when 26 members of the U-17 team involved in the qualifier for the finals hosted by India in 2017 failed an age test conducted by the Confederation of African Football, CAF.

Nigeria eventually failed to qualify. Nigerian football authorities must take the bull by the horns and adopt zero tolerance to age cheating. We should no longer depend on the oft-fraudulent player information provided by the players, family members, agents and even coaches who connive to cheat for personal gain.
In addition to the Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI, tests any player who has completed secondary education and has played in the local league should no longer be eligible for the U-17 squad. Football administrators should monitor budding talents through the schools and soccer academies. That way they can effectively keep out cheats.
Emphasis should no longer be on winning the age group competitions by all means. Development of our football should be paramount. Integrity will not only ensure longer service by our national players, it will also clean up our soccer image from the laughingstock it has become.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/hal ... ootball-2/
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

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I really don't understand why people keep making the mistake of thinking because you win u17, it should also mean you win or be competitive at u20?

You must first understand there's no guarantee that u17 will all blossom to be good u20 players.

You should also understand the enigma that is Nigeria. There's no continuity with players. You're a bad game away from a footnote in history.

Just concentrate on ridding us of age cheats. Good ballets will emerge across all ages
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

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pajimoh wrote:I really don't understand why people keep making the mistake of thinking because you win u17, it should also mean you win or be competitive at u20?

You must first understand there's no guarantee that u17 will all blossom to be good u20 players.

You should also understand the enigma that is Nigeria. There's no continuity with players. You're a bad game away from a footnote in history.

Just concentrate on ridding us of age cheats. Good ballets will emerge across all ages

pajimoh,

It is based on linear thinking and ignores all kinds of pertinent variables that prevent that linearity from occurring.
The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

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It has taken a heavy toll on our football development. For instance, we have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup five times (more than any other country). But we have only played in two finals of the U-20 since its inception in 1977 in Tunisia! Unlike other countries where genuinely eligible players who go through the age group championships serve at the senior level for upwards of ten years, most Nigerian age group players fizzle out before they break into the Super Eagles, apparently because by then they have become too old.
:lol: :lol: anytime you see rubbish like this parroted, then you know whatever you are reading is not worth the paper (or screen) it is printed on. This is kindergarten level analysis.
We have been brainwashed by the Premier League that it's the best in the world. Nonsense. It's the best brand
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He says that we are currently "brainwashed" into believing that the Premier League is the best competition in the world, and that we are now a long way off dominating the Champions League again.
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I think Spain’s by far the best league.
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

Post by wiseone »

Most teams not called Spain do not replicate youth team success at adult level. History is littered with Next Big Thing wonder kids that do not replicate their record breaking youth team success in adult football (Dos Santos, Bojan, Januzaj, Macheda, McCrachran, Kakuta, Adu, Cole etc).
pajimoh wrote:I really don't understand why people keep making the mistake of thinking because you win u17, it should also mean you win or be competitive at u20?

You must first understand there's no guarantee that u17 will all blossom to be good u20 players.

You should also understand the enigma that is Nigeria. There's no continuity with players. You're a bad game away from a footnote in history.

Just concentrate on ridding us of age cheats. Good ballets will emerge across all ages
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

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wiseone wrote:Most teams not called Spain do not replicate youth team success at adult level. History is littered with Next Big Thing wonder kids that do not replicate their record breaking youth team success in adult football (Dos Santos, Bojan, Januzaj, Macheda, McCrachran, Kakuta, Adu, Cole etc).
pajimoh wrote:I really don't understand why people keep making the mistake of thinking because you win u17, it should also mean you win or be competitive at u20?

You must first understand there's no guarantee that u17 will all blossom to be good u20 players.

You should also understand the enigma that is Nigeria. There's no continuity with players. You're a bad game away from a footnote in history.

Just concentrate on ridding us of age cheats. Good ballets will emerge across all ages

Leave spain sef as they don't really have a history of success in the youth scene and have one world cup to show for it. Lets look at Argentina. They have won FIVE (5) U-20's since 1986. FIVE. Apart from the olympics, U-20 is the closest thing to senior football and is much closer than u-17. Why hasn't Argentina been cleaning up world cup trophies? Are they using overaged u-20 players tourney after tourney?

It is lazy to merely blame failure at the senior level to age cheating. One would imagine that the vast majority of the world is doing the right thing, and using truly young kids in these tourneys. If that is so, why is it the same 6 countries keep on rotating the world cup among themselves? Has Nigeria cheated in the past yes! Are people still trying to cheat the system, most likely so. Will Nigeria win at the adult level even after every single age cheating scheme is defeated? Who knows, however, without addressing other major structural issues we have my guess is CAPITAL NO!!!
We have been brainwashed by the Premier League that it's the best in the world. Nonsense. It's the best brand
Roy Keane: ITV 02/25/14

He says that we are currently "brainwashed" into believing that the Premier League is the best competition in the world, and that we are now a long way off dominating the Champions League again.
Gary Neville: Mirror: 12/23/14

I think Spain’s by far the best league.
Scholes. UK Guardian 9/6/16
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

Post by wiseone »

Excellent points. The attributes that can lead to success at youth level (superior speed, athleticism, strength, and improvisation) are no guarantee of success at adult level because: (a) the gap between youth and adult football is immense (b) the superior tactical discipline and coaching at adult level can close the gap with teams of superior talent (c) it requires a lot of focus and extraordinary dedication to be an adult pro footballer. Most young kids can get away with drinking coke and eating chips in their teens. Those sort of things would not be tolerated at pro level and would cause a drop in a player's physical performance.


metalalloy wrote: Leave spain sef as they don't really have a history of success in the youth scene and have one world cup to show for it. Lets look at Argentina. They have won FIVE (5) U-20's since 1986. FIVE. Apart from the olympics, U-20 is the closest thing to senior football and is much closer than u-17. Why hasn't Argentina been cleaning up world cup trophies? Are they using overaged u-20 players tourney after tourney?

It is lazy to merely blame failure at the senior level to age cheating. One would imagine that the vast majority of the world is doing the right thing, and using truly young kids in these tourneys. If that is so, why is it the same 6 countries keep on rotating the world cup among themselves? Has Nigeria cheated in the past yes! Are people still trying to cheat the system, most likely so. Will Nigeria win at the adult level even after every single age cheating scheme is defeated? Who knows, however, without addressing other major structural issues we have my guess is CAPITAL NO!!!
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

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<< Nigerian football authorities must take the bull by the horns and adopt zero tolerance to age cheating>>

Nonsense!!!
How about the gov't putting a system in place to record all births and giving every citizen an ID #

My grandfather, who just passed away (may his soul rest in peace), did not know when he was born
During one of the census, he was given his age based on his looks; he was 7 years older than his youngest son
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

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Rawlings wrote:<< Nigerian football authorities must take the bull by the horns and adopt zero tolerance to age cheating>>

Nonsense!!!
How about the gov't putting a system in place to record all births and giving every citizen an ID #

My grandfather, who just passed away (may his soul rest in peace), did not know when he was born
During one of the census, he was given his age based on his looks; he was 7 years older than his youngest son
Trying to make a valid point but using your grandfather as example is just daft. How many people your grand age across Africa has or were issued birth cert?
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

Post by Rawlings »

pajimoh wrote:
Rawlings wrote:<< Nigerian football authorities must take the bull by the horns and adopt zero tolerance to age cheating>>

Nonsense!!!
How about the gov't putting a system in place to record all births and giving every citizen an ID #

My grandfather, who just passed away (may his soul rest in peace), did not know when he was born
During one of the census, he was given his age based on his looks; he was 7 years older than his youngest son
Trying to make a valid point but using your grandfather as example is just daft. How many people your grand age across Africa has or were issued birth cert?
Nothing daft in using a real life example that impacted me
I could have talked about some imaginary folks I heard of from Abeokuta (but that will be an unverifiable toli)
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Re: Vanguard Editorial: Halting age fraud in Nigerian footba

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metalalloy wrote:
wiseone wrote:Most teams not called Spain do not replicate youth team success at adult level. History is littered with Next Big Thing wonder kids that do not replicate their record breaking youth team success in adult football (Dos Santos, Bojan, Januzaj, Macheda, McCrachran, Kakuta, Adu, Cole etc).
pajimoh wrote:I really don't understand why people keep making the mistake of thinking because you win u17, it should also mean you win or be competitive at u20?

You must first understand there's no guarantee that u17 will all blossom to be good u20 players.

You should also understand the enigma that is Nigeria. There's no continuity with players. You're a bad game away from a footnote in history.

Just concentrate on ridding us of age cheats. Good ballets will emerge across all ages

Leave spain sef as they don't really have a history of success in the youth scene and have one world cup to show for it. Lets look at Argentina. They have won FIVE (5) U-20's since 1986. FIVE. Apart from the olympics, U-20 is the closest thing to senior football and is much closer than u-17. Why hasn't Argentina been cleaning up world cup trophies? Are they using overaged u-20 players tourney after tourney?

It is lazy to merely blame failure at the senior level to age cheating. One would imagine that the vast majority of the world is doing the right thing, and using truly young kids in these tourneys. If that is so, why is it the same 6 countries keep on rotating the world cup among themselves? Has Nigeria cheated in the past yes! Are people still trying to cheat the system, most likely so. Will Nigeria win at the adult level even after every single age cheating scheme is defeated? Who knows, however, without addressing other major structural issues we have my guess is CAPITAL NO!!!

First of all, Spain does have a rich history of top performance in youth football. The FIFA tournaments are not the only prominent youth tourneys and it can be argued that the UEFA U-19 tournament is far more productive as a developmental tournament than the FIFA U-17/20..

Secondly, success at the NT level is not the only barometer of success of youth football. I would argue that the ultimate measure is progression to first team football at the highest level. Based on that Argentina has been a resounding success.

The issue that undermines the arguments of the supporters of age cheating in Nigeria is that it is hard to explain why such a dominant performance at all levels of youth football, does not in turn yield a commensurate level of success at the senior level- NT and 1st team club football.

Take a small sample which is women football. Apart from in Africa, at every level of women football, Nigeria is a perennial failure, EXCEPT in the age-grade tournaments!

And to answer your question, the reason why the WC keeps rotating amongst a few countries is because these countries have some of the most successful youth and domestic programs that is able to develop players on a consistent high level.

There is no doubt that u are right wrt to structural problems in our domestic game. Solving this would need to begin on a foundation of honesty.
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We watched this very boring video, 500 times, of Sacchi doing defensive drills, using sticks and without the ball, with Maldini, Baresi and Albertini. We used to think before then that if the other players are better, you have to lose. After that we learned anything is possible – you can beat better teams by using tactics." Jurgen Klopp

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