Even as incidents of fake birth certificates being produced by students to participate in football tournaments are rampant, the authorities have yet to devise a foolproof mechanism to check this practice.
Currently, birth certificates issued by school authorities are the only valid proof to determine age.
However, AIFF has rejected claims made by some players of the state during selection trials, citing overage, after conducting the required technical examinations.
Recently, Rajil Saji of MSP HSS, Malappuram, was disqualified owing to overage, from the under-14 national academy selection trials held at Delhi, in the light of an MRI scan result.
He was allowed to play in the Subroto Mukerjee Cup football state championship held in Thiruvananthapuram.
Following the incident, the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) has been subjected to censure for its apathy in conducting MRI tests to prove the age of players. “The boy who was born on 4 February 2000, had produced a birth certificate issued only on 2005. Due to this, we requested the authorities to conduct an MRI test once again to prove his actual age. Later we came to know that the organising committee had not taken any initiative in this regard, although the losers of the final had protested”, said Shabeer Ali, manager, Farook Higher Secondary School, who had filed a complaint on the issue to the DPI.
When contacted, KFA secretary Anilkumar pressed the need for introducing a random MRI check on doubtful players.
“Just like the system followed by AIFF, authorities should set up provisions to detect the exact age of players. It is better if the complainant would bear the expense for conducting the test”.
DPI sources maintained that an MRI test cannot be conducted on every player as each test costs around Rs 2,500 to Rs 6,000. In a major tournament like the Subroto Cup which is conducted in various age categories, around 2,000 players participate.
These tests are conducted only at the international level, he added. DPI Sports Officer Chacko did not respond to efforts made by ‘Express’ to contact him in this regard. Besides Farook School, a school based in Ernakulam also filed a complaint raising the issue of the age of the same player.