Ahead of the U-17 AFCON zonal qualifiers in Niger Republic, 15 of
Nigeria’s 40 best players have failed the mandatory MRI age test.
ScoreNigeria reports that the players affected include four of the
team’s star strikers as well as a highly-rated central defender from
Plateau State.
The players have since been sent packing from the team’s training camp in Abuja.
The report said another set of 15 players are now to undergo the MRI scan to replace those who failed.
Coach Manu Garba’s lads are to begin their qualifying campaign on September 3 against Burkina Faso.
They are drawn in Group B along with Cote d’Ivoire and Benin
Republic, with only the overall winners of the seven-team qualifying
competition advancing to the tournament proper in Tanzania next year.