32 players from Cameroon U-17 squad fail age test

At least 32 players from the Cameroon U-17 team have failed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) screening aimed to verify their age.

According to BBC, the test was mandated by Samuel Eto, the president of the Cameroonian FA.

MRI screening is a scan of the players’ bone density to accurately ascertain their true age.

Out of the initial squad of 30 players who camped in Mbankomo, Yaounde, 21 players failed that test.

Another eleven players have also failed the scan done as recently as Tuesday.

Jean Pierre Fiala, the coach of the team, is faced with the dilemma of putting together a squad ahead of the upcoming Central African Football Federations’ Union (UNIFFAC) qualifiers for the 2023 CAF U-17 championship.

Cameroon is billed to host Congo, Chad, DR Congo, and Central African Republic between January 12 and 24 to determine which countries will represent the region in the age-grade competition scheduled for Algeria in April.

The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria have already qualified for the 15th edition of the competition.

Nigeria won the 2021 WAFU B tournament in Ghana to book the ticket alongside Burkina Faso.

The development in Cameroon is not the first time African countries will have a chunk of players failing MRI tests.

In 2016, 26 Nigerian players failed the test ahead of a CAF under-17 championship qualifier against Niger Republic.