The nation’s last weekend opponent, the Kenyan female U-17 national team, has petitioned the Confederation of African Football that their Nigerian counterparts fielded an over-aged player in the World Cup qualifier against them.
A top CAF official disclosed that they have received a formal complaint from Kenya in this respect.
Nigeria’s U-17, nicknamed the Flamingoes, on Saturday in Nairobi started their campaign for a place at this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals on a bright note when they defeated Kenya 2-0 in a first round, first leg match in Nairobi.
Patience Okaene scored in the 27th and 63rd minutes at the Nyayo national stadium to set Nigeria on a sure course for a place in the second and final round of qualifiers in March.
“The girls played well and dominated the game, and they showed the right spirit throughout,” said Aisha Falode, coordinator of Nigeria’s women national teams.
The Flamingoes featured in the two earlier editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, in New Zealand (2008) and Trinidad and Tobago (2010), reaching the quarter finals in the last edition before losing to eventual winners South Korea in extra time.
It would be recalled that Coach of Makbet Queens, Godday Esezobor, picked a hole in the ages of the players in the national Under-17 women’s team, the Flamingoes, long before they went into camp.
Esezobor said that majority of the invited players have competed for the Under-17 team severally in the past.
His words then: “The coaches are merely re-cycling players and it is very bad. I don’t want to mention names, I know the players very well. Most of them have played for the same team two or three times in the past. The coaches are the ones that encourage them to alter their ages. Majority of the present squad are over-aged. It does not give opportunity for new ones to come in.”
The proprietor of Makbet Queens who admitted that Nigeria has abundant talents in the under-aged cadre, advised coach Dedevbo to seek help from his colleagues in the field.
He said: “Coach Dedevbo should go out and get genuine Under-17 players. They are everywhere and abundant.
“If he needs help he can call on us to help him out.
“We train these players, we know them one on one and will give him good players within the age bracket.
“Re-cycling of players will not advance the growth of the game one bit. It will kill the game.”
South Africa had petitioned FIFA to challenge the age claims of four players in the Flamingoes’ squad after the Nigerian team threw them out of the U-17 women championship with a 2-1 second leg victory in Klerksdorp, South Africa.
Kenya’s protest to FIFA is the second for which Nigeria is being charged for using over-aged players in the same team.