22 Nov 2020

After starting the COSAFA Under-17 Championship on a promising note, Botswana Under 17 national team has been disqualified for allegedly failing age eligibility test.

Some players of Comoros Islands, eSwatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana are said to have failed the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
In their first game, Botswana played to a 2-all draw with Malawi.

A press release from Botswana Football Association (BFA) says they are yet to be furnished with details pertaining to the identity of the affected players and medical records verifying the outcome of the tests.

“We take great exception to the decision and we are in the process of noting an appeal against the decision,” says the release.

Meanwhile when briefing media, COSAFA secretary general Sue Destombes said the test of age illegibility was always conducted for Under 17 teams in the form of MRI.

She reiterated that even last year in Malawi, COSAFA conducted a MRI test, saying CAF had sent  a reminder to the associations on November 1, recommending that teams should make their own MRI tests in their respective countries.

According to COSAFA tournament regulations,  age eligibility test are obligatory and are to be performed on all participating players upon arrival in the host city.

The test will be performed by the CAF Medical Services in accordance with the protocol of the F-Marc in a health facility duly accredited by the hosting country using an MRI apparatus while cost of the MRI test will be covered by CAF.

In the event that a participating team has one or more players, who do not pass the MRI test for eligibility, then the applicable team will be disqualified.ENDS