The Hindu : Sport / Football : MRI test must, says AIFF

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 29, 2004

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Sport - Football

MRI test must, says AIFF

By S.R. Surayanarayan

CHENNAI, SEPT. 27. The All India football Federation has announced that MRI tests would be conducted on players at the national sub-junior football championship (Under-16) for the Mir Iqbal Hussain trophy to be held from October 3 in Goa.

Such tests to detect over-aged players are done by FIFA and AFC and AIFF's fiat is a clear indication that it was taking a serious view of the issue of `over-aged' players.

The late announcement has certainly taken the officials of the various participating State teams in the final round by surprise.

"While we welcome AIFF's move, how could the national body take this step now when the zonal championships have been completed without any such check and the teams have been finalised for the final round", said an official from the Tamil Nadu Football Association. Tamil Nadu incidentally qualified for the final round from South Zone.

Aside from Goa, which as host has direct entry, the other states, which have qualified for the final round, are Meghalaya, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, West Bengal, and the winner of the West Zone where the competition is still to end.

It is well known that most age-group competitions in the country, not just football, throw up this age-issue to worry the organisers and the concerned parent body. It is a different matter that going by `age certificates' everything would look in order but the concern expressed by the officials at the announcement of MRI scans is a reflection of the fact that there is more to it than meets the eye.

It is apparent that the late announcement by the AIFF and its instruction to the concerned State officials to ensure that the team coach cooperated with the Match Commissioner and the AIFF Observer for the tests, has put the teams in a quandary.

There is no time for replacing the `doubtful' players or for the State Associations themselves to undertake such tests, even if costly, to safeguard their team's participation. In fact some teams are already on their way to Goa and a few like Tamil Nadu have just started its journey. The best that the Tamil Nadu Association could do was to lodge a protest with the AIFF for this sudden decision when the preliminary phase of the competition had already been completed.

A source in the AIFF office in Margao, in the absence of Secretary, Alberto Colaco, who is abroad, said the Federation was only following the rules the World and Asian bodies had laid out. Until now such tests were never introduced in this competition. Asked how the AIFF would act should any team take to legal recourse, he said, "We will have to wait and see."

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