South Sudan U-17 side have conducted the MRI test to prove that they are using eligible players for this campaign.
South Sudan’s U17 players were cleared eligable for the upcoming CECAFA qualifiers in Uganda and were previously disqualified from CAF tournament due to age cheating.
In April 2023, the U17 national team was disqualified from the Africa Cup of Nations’ tournament in Algeria after five players failed the mandatory (MRI) test, the national football federation confirmed.
Up to soo far South Sudan have 20 players who will represent their national team after passing the test required by Council of East & Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA).
They were approved following the thorough verification process, overseen by a Confederation of African Football (CAF) doctor to guarantee fairness and accuracy.
According to SSFA, this step is important to ensure compliance with regulations as the team eyes qualification for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
The head coach of South Sudan U17 Nasir Yusuf confirmed that his side is willing to upholding integrity in youth football.
He said “After we were assigned by the General Federation, we selected the national team members from Juba on November 25th by determining the ages and positions of the players from the teams in Juba and the football academies.
“We tested 120 players and then chose 40 players. We have reduced the number of players to 20 according to the CECAFA law.
“SSFA will bring the team from CECAFA to examine the ages of the players and verify them our 20 players passed the verification and we are ready now for the game.”
South Sudan are placed on Group B of the AFCON’S CECAFA Zonal qualifiers with other nations such as Sudan, Somalia and Kenya.
When the junior national team was kicked out of the 2023 AFCON tournament, the national football governing body SSFA said it regretted the situation and filed a complaint which was promptly rejected.
SSFA had argued that two of the five players that were disqualified previously participated in the zonal qualifiers after passing the MRI scan in Ethiopia in September 2022.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
