Nagaland and 14 other teams have been disqualified for participating in the 62nd edition of the Subroto Cup Inter School International Football Tournament for Sub Junior (U-14) Boys for fielding over aged players.
According to reports, four players from Nagaland were ruled out for participation in the tournament for exceeding their age limit during the medical test. The disqualification was a result of teams fielding players who exceeded the specified age limit in their squads.
A Skeletal Age Estimation Test was carried out on Sunday in adherence to the tournament’s rules and the guidelines established by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), where the examination was conducted at a Bengaluru Hospital with a doctor appointed by AIFF.
According to an announcement made on X, out of the 126 players who underwent the test, 87 did not meet the criteria, while 34 successfully met the requirements.
The disqualified teams are Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Haryana, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Jarkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Sainik School, NCC, NVS, CBSE, BKSP, KVS.
It was learned that those disqualified teams will be playing knockout matches and will be departing without participating in the main event. It was also informed that players disqualified in the medical test will not be allowed to play in the knockout matches. All the matches are scheduled to be conducted at AF School, Jalahalli.
Speaking to this correspondent, coach (U-14), Jabu Meru, revealed that the TW3 test was conducted to verify the players’ ages, after the results were declared, the team was disqualified, but the test results were not disclosed on September 30. He informed that despite numerous appeals after the results were declared on matter of disqualification during the same night, the team requests were turned down as the authorities claimed there was no avenue for them to voice their grievances.
“Consequently, the Nagaland team attempted to revisit the People Tree Hospital to undergo the test again but were refused permission by the authorities and pointed out that these players were initially considered eligible, highlighting a significant lack of transparency in the entire situation”, he informed.
Meru explained that they conducted the screening process in accordance with the given guidelines and mentioned that the team was chosen from the “Pre Subroto Tournament” held within the state. He further clarified that the players’ ages were verified using their Aadhaar cards and birth certificates by the respective officials and schools. Among the 16 players representing Nagaland from Greenwood School in Dimapur, four were discovered to be above the age limit based on the Skeletal Age Estimation Test.
To a query about the Skeletal Age Estimation Test, director of Youth Resources and Sports, Kethosituo Sekhose, informed that it may not be 100% accurate and the results are only “approximates”.
Sekhose also informed that while specialized doctors conducted the testing, a basic examination could be conducted within the state using appropriate X-Ray and bone density estimation techniques. Additionally, he mentioned that the elbow bone reaches full maturity by the age of 14, making it a potential indicator, if necessary, in such cases.
Further, he mentioned that this incident could serve as a wake-up call for the state to enhance the process of issuing birth certificates and prevent any manipulation of children’s ages. According to reliable sources, it has been reported that Nagaland State and some other states has been following a trend of fielding players who exceeded the prescribed age over the course of several years. With Nagaland currently lagging behind in football compared to other states, if the issue of age manipulation continues, the state’s progress in the sport would be hampered and players will miss out the chance to showcase their talents in broader stages.
In the previous years, Dental Age Estimation (DAE) and Skeletal Age Estimation Test were being carried out to estimate the age of the players. Subroto Cup Inter School International Football Tournament is for the Sub Junior players under the age of 14.