In a significant blow to youth football in Sierra Leone, the U17 national football team has been disqualified from the 2024 U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament after failing the mandatory MRI age test.
Sierra Leone, along with teams from Guinea and Guinea Bissau, was removed from the competition following discrepancies in the age verification process, raising concerns over the fairness of youth tournaments.
The MRI tests, which determine the age of players through bone scans, are a critical part of ensuring eligibility in youth competitions.
Recent changes to Article 27.4 of the U17 AFCON regulations have made the enforcement of these tests more stringent. The updated rules now mandate that if more than four players from any team are found ineligible after the scans, the entire team will face disqualification. Unfortunately, Sierra Leone and the other two nations did not meet the revised criteria.
This disqualification has deeply disappointed football fans in Sierra Leone, who had high hopes for their young players’ performance in the tournament, scheduled to take place in Senegal. As the scandal continues to unfold, the issue has sparked a wider conversation on the need for stricter age verification and transparent procedures to maintain the integrity of youth football.
The disqualification is a reminder of the challenges African football faces in managing age-related controversies in youth tournaments. It also underscores the importance of preserving fairness and credibility in international competitions as Sierra Leone and other affected teams reflect on the consequences of this incident.
