THE MENACE OF AGE FRAUD AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON AFRICAN FOOTBALL

THE MENACE OF AGE FRAUD AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON AFRICAN FOOTBALL
by Lorde Verbinski

The game of football has become an irreplaceable part of many people’s lives, whether as players, spectators (in stadiums or at home), those who bet, organizing bodies, service providers. One way or the other, more than half of the world population is involved with football; and they all love it.

However, the dent of dishonesty on this beautiful, world-unifying activity which emanated from age cheating has become a source of concern. For us Africans, the shame and stain have overshadowed our laundry skills and we keep struggling to wash it off to no avail. To concede, the players themselves reserve the exclusive rights to tell the world when they were born so whatsoever they call themselves is what we take from them. Many footballers enjoy claiming ages that do not actually tally with their chronological ages. They find one or two reasons to necessitate a reduction in age, even when it seems almost unnecessary for them to embark on such ride of dishonesty.

READ ALSO: ANOTHER BUILDING COLLAPSES IN LAGOS ISLAND —REPORT

It is generally believed that African footballers lie about their ages, leading to the different age fabrication controversies in football. In fact, almost every African footballer’s age is subjected to probes before taken to be true. And for those who are guilty of this lie, regardless of their appearances (facial looks and body structure) saying something different, still uphold their false age. It is not only a questionable act but a pure lack of honesty for one to claim what one is not.

Ever wondered why African teams tend to perform better at FIFA youth levels compared to how well they perform at the highest level? I mean, who does not know that African teams hardly miss success at U-17 and U-20 levels? For example, African sides have won 7 out of the last 17 FIFA u-17 World Cup editions (Nigeria 5 and Ghana 2); to add to that success, Nigeria has won it more than any other country in the world! However, no single African team has ever made it as far as getting to the semi-finals in a full World Cup. You would want to ask why Nigeria, after having skillful players who would win the U-17 cups never made it to the main World Cup Quatre-Final: what happened to the players? The last time an African team came close to being in the semis at the main World Cup, they got their luck smashed against the woodwork –a night to forget for Asamoah Gyan and the entire Ghana fans.

READ ALSO: ANOTHER BUILDING COLLAPSES IN LAGOS ISLAND —REPORT

Talking about FIFA Youth successes that do not last, consider the 2007 U-17 World Cup for instance. A certain Eden Hazard and Christian Benteke featured in that tournament for Belgium. There was also a James Rodriguez for Colombia; Toni Kroos for Germany (emerged the Best Player); Asier Illaramendi for Spain; Danny Welbeck and Victor Moses! for England and many other players. But a certain Macauley Chrisantus, the striker whose name became the most popular, he emerged highest goal scorer. Few years down the line, he is AWOL. Even Welbeck, in his undulating career, is still active. Where is that super striker from Nigeria, that made Africa proud in South Korea? Now, Victor Moses that nobody knew in the tournament is representing Nigeria.

Over the years, false age declarations have added little or no value to African football(ers). In say, two to five years after out-muscling their younger foreign counterparts in a youth tournament, they are no longer performing optimally; the next thing: retirement, because they cannot run any longer, even though they had claimed to be 17 years old few years back. Most of them spend the rest of their careers as loanees in foreign clubs or mere bench warmers.

The truth is, age fabrication is one of the big problems the world football governing bodies have with the African continent; it may not be exclusive to Africa but it is worse here. And this seems to be a never-ending puzzle that has generated diverse perspectives from pundits without a lasting panacea. Simply put, age cheating has become cancer to African football and youth competitions stand the risk of losing qualified talents that should take the continental football to higher levels with their natural youthfulness.

In April 2013, nine players were denied participation in the African u-17 Championship in Morocco after the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) wrist scans showed them to be over the age limit. Congo-Brazzaville, Ivory Coast and Nigeria each had three players banned. Thumbs up to MRI, you’d say, right? Yes, the use of MRI has proved relevant on many occasions, yet it raises as many questions. The MRI of a player’s wrist to be evaluated by a radiologist determines only skeletal age. One negation here is that skeletal age is basically just a measure of biological maturity and people obviously reach maturity at varying lengths.
Still, need further proof that certainty cannot be built on technology?! It is man’s initiative after all. With this shortcoming of the MRI, some overage players can escape the test.

At the other end of the world, European players enjoy a nice ride in their football careers because they (are compelled to) come into the scene with honesty. This is evident in FIFA senior tournaments where they are always agile and effective; why? They rarely lie about their age. You see them with agility, looking young and ready. Well, you may talk about a Spanish Diego Costa who is just 29 years with an ancient look; but then, not everyone is fortunate not to be wearing a “bad boy” look.

In 1994, Roger Milla of Cameroon set a record of the oldest player to ever appear in a FIFA World Cup at 42 years old until the 2014 FIFA World Cup when Colombia’s Fayd Mondragon was brought in for Colombia vs Japan game being 43 years and 3 days old, dethroning Roger Milla. However, it is reasonable to say Roger Milla and the legendary Egyptian goalkeeper, Essam El-Haday, 44 years old, who took to the field against Mali in 2017 African Cup of Nations, are the only positive story about the prevalent age fabrication in African football. If they had claimed 17 years when they were actually 30 years, they wouldn’t get to play till that landmark because the body will always show its fatigue.

While the likes of Kazuyoshi Muira of Japan (50 years), Stanley Matthews of England (50 years), Andrea Pierobon of Italy (45 years) and John Burridge of England (46 years) to mention a few, make the list of seven oldest players that ever graced football , no African player is represented.
Even now, coming down to the common faces in this era, while the likes of Andrea Pirlo (38 years), Francesco Totti (41 years), Xavi Hernandez (38 years) and Gianluigi Buffon (40 years) can boast of being still active in football, only Didier Drogba (40 years) and Samuel Eto’o (38 years) can boast of the same in Africa, in a Europe-Africa comparison.
Ironically, Africans have durable, natural strength; why does it not show in the football world? To where do their strengths go after a few years of international football if they did not cheat? The injury-prone players are exempted here.

READ ALSO: WAJE QUITS MUSIC, GIVES REASON

Still, a look at why age fabrication is highly concentrated in Africa will help this discourse. Johannesburg sport sociologist, Cora Burnett said: “Given the nature of poverty in a society where dishonesty often pays-high criminality, dubious ethical standards, and contaminated values and a sports fraternity with pressures to succeed, overage participation needs to be unpacked.” This doesn’t go without saying that poverty is the underlining factor for this age fraud wahala. Everybody wants to make a break from the shackles and make it to the limelight, with every possible chance, even if it means returning to teenage”.

More so, who can really blame African players when football is a lucrative profession which can help subdue poverty faster than many other professions? The truth remains that the beautiful game of football offers a faster, genuine escape route from poverty; a gateway to a better quality of life. Hence, fairly speaking, many of these players are moved by the desire to break out of ugly situations for a better means of livelihood.

As much as we blame the players, we should not forget the role of the external influences pressuring say, a coach, for immediate success. Apart from the fact that African players do not have early opportunities as their European counterparts who begin very early in world-class academies, most indigenous African coaches are usually under pressure to “deliver” the trust and worth placed in them so they field players capable of helping them attain success, playing down their ages.
Who would blame them after all? Nobody wants to lose his job to a foreign coach right in his own country.

If one also considers the porosity in documentation and other such legal processes in this part of the world, one may understand that the poor players simply use the opportunity to get something for themselves. Data collection is still a problem since the continent continues to dangle between the analog and digital.

READ ALSO: DENRELE EDUN GOOFS AROUND WITH FORMER FIRST LADY PATIENCE JONATHAN AND SHOWERS HER WITH PRAISE
In some African nations, birth certificates are either inaccurate or not even available. Some children are born in rural areas without the knowledge of the state or even the nearest tier of government so nothing is recorded about them. Mind you, age falsification is not just a football issue: it is a practice that cuts across different walks and professions. People doctor their birth certificates to get opportunities here and there. Blame them If you choose to, but it all boils down to one thing: the search for an escape from poverty.

The suspicions obstruct the success of players abroad. Take the case of Joseph Minala of Cameroon (21 years) who was, fairly speaking, begrudged for having a few wrinkles on his face, was not the first nor be the last player, who would have to deal with age fraud controversy like he had in Italy, owing to little or no importance given to birth documents and identity data gathering in Africa. Even though he was investigated and freed from the accusations, his career got smeared with a little bit of confusion due to inadequate legal birth documents. I hope the African continent wakes to see the gravitas of legal documents and its binding effects on African players. It will remove the conception that almost every African player is older than he claims, whether or not that is true.

For now, MRI or no MRI, that noose is still hanging over the continent, crippling credibility of African players in the international scene. Many players are not given good treatments abroad even with a mere suspicion of age fraud. African football must free itself of the burden –free from age fraud controversy. The players may have been going extreme by being dishonest but they would not do that if the system they found themselves did not support such; it is, therefore, a call on the entire continent to make life and the football system better. Until then, this menace will live on and African teams will remain less productive and too mediocre to challenge other countries in the World Cup.