The latest update on the Golden Eaglets age test showed that 40 of the 60 players who underwent the MRI age test failed, while 6.5 million Naira was spent for the whole exercise.
SCORENigeria can also report that the Grade 4 benchmark used for the latest test accounted for the high failure rate because had Grade 5, which was the benchmark adopted by the previous Golden Eaglets teams, been used, at least 31 players would have scaled this hurdle.
However, officials have insisted that the team stick to Grade 4 to ensure Nigeria do not run foul of the latest decision by CAF that a country will be disqualified should a player be deemed ineligible because of age.
It was further learnt that a total sum of 6.5 million Naira was used for this test at 110,000 Naira per player.
Discussions are now going on how coach Fatai Amoo and his assistants will overcome this massive setback after it was revealed that only one player from the team widely referred to as “first team” passed the age test.
Amoo’s job has been made even tougher by the fact that of the 20 players who scaled through, four players are all playing the same position.
It is now left for the coach to convert some of these players to other positions.
It was further gathered that the age test may have disqualified all the goalkeepers who have been in training camp for several weeks in Abuja ahead of the U17 AFCON qualifiers next month in Benin Republic.
SCORENigeria learnt that there is now a frantic bid to bring in a couple of young shot stoppers as a result.
