Confirmation has come from the head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 team, Manu Garba, regarding certain players failing the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test while in camp.
The Golden Eaglets are currently in preparations for the 2024 WAFU B U-17 tournament scheduled to take place in Ghana.
Garba is encountering challenges in finalizing his squad as the initial group of 54 invited players underwent MRI tests leading to a significant reduction in numbers.
“Let me provide some clarity on this issue. The legitimate U-17 players, as per their official documentation submitted to the NFF and the MRI examinations conducted by the football body, are still present in the camp gearing up for the WAFU B U-17 competition.
Upon the commencement of the camp last month, several reputable football academies had to withdraw their players once the MRI tests revealed that their players fell under Grade 5. Consequently, these players had to exit the camp promptly,” he mentioned on nff.com.
He further stated, “Those academies that were not forthcoming and attempted to bypass regulations have been exposed post the NFF’s MRI assessments conducted a few days back, which contradicted the results earlier presented by their players prior to joining the camp, failing to meet the NFF’s criteria.”
Garba emphasized, “The NFF requires players falling within Grades 1 to 4. Players on Grade 5 have been instructed to depart from the camp.”