Football
Age Fraud raises ugly head in Subroto Cup, three teams disqualified
A total of 19 players from three teams tested overage at the Subroto Cup Sub-Junior tournament while three teams are still awaiting results.
The Subroto Cup logo
Delhi: Age fraud in Indian football raised its ugly head once again, this time in the prestigious Subroto Cup tournament on Monday.
Three teams were disqualified from the 63rd edition of the Subroto Cup Sub-Junior Boys tournament, which started today in Bengaluru.
The teams had fielded overage players, which was confirmed by the skeletal age estimation test.
The three teams that were disqualified are Nazareth Model High School, Dima Hasao, Assam; Nehru Public School, Jamui, Bihar; and Ultou Govt. Model High School, Bishnupur, Manipur.
A Skeletal Age Estimation Test was conducted as per the regulations of the tournament and the criteria set by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), and the above-mentioned teams were found to have fielded more than four players who were above the cut-off age, leading to their disqualification.
The matches played on Day 1 by the above-mentioned teams were declared null and void.
"This is not the first time this has happened. Every edition sees overage players coming to the Subroto Cup and getting disqualified due to stringent rules," one of the sources close to the development told The Bridge.
According to sources, a total of 19 players were overage in the above-mentioned three teams, with one team having seven overage players and the other two teams having six players each.
"Apart from these teams, we have three more teams that are awaiting the results," the source added further. The other three teams are reported to be from Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
However, as per reports, the count of overage players is less compared to last season. A total of 16 teams were disqualified in the previous season.
In the 62nd edition of the Subroto Cup, a total of 126 players were tested, of which 87 players failed the test and 34 players passed.
A minimum of four players from each team were tested, and the 15 teams disqualified had a minimum of four players found to be overage.
The Bridge reached out to two of the school representatives, with one of them refusing to comment on the situation.
"The players submitted their age certificates, and we trusted them. It's a fault on our part, but we will try to be more stringent next time," the other school representative told The Bridge over a phone call.
