New head coach of the Golden Eaglets, Manu Garba, has brushed off reports of large Magnetic Resonance Imaging test in his camp, Soccernet.ng reports.
As the 2024 WAFU B U-17 tournament in Ghana approaches, earlier reports reveal that Garba faces challenges in finalizing his squad. Following a failure in MRI tests, which saw the initial list of 51 invited players significantly reduced.
Garba, who recently took over from Nduka Ugbade, has clarified that players with genuine U17 status, as verified by official documents and MRI tests conducted by the NFF, remain in the camp.
“Let me clear the air on this matter. The genuine U17 players, according to their official document made available to the NFF and the MRI tests conducted by the football body are still in the camp preparing for the WAFU B U17 tournament. When the camp opened last month, the very sincere football academies had to withdraw their players after the MRI tests they conducted showed that their players were on Grade 5. These players had to leave the camp immediately” he told nff.com.
However, some academies withdrew their players after MRI tests revealed they were overage. Additionally, players who provided misleading MRI results upon entering the camp were detected and asked to leave.
“Those who were not sincere and thought they could find a way through one way or the other have been exposed after the NFF conducted its own MRI a few days ago, and found the results earlier presented by their players before entering the camp did not tally with the requirements of the NFF. The NFF insists on players whose results are between Grade 1 – 4. Players on Grade 5 have been asked to leave the camp.” Garba continued.
Despite these challenges, Garba emphasized that most players received favourable MRI grades at the NFF-approved medical center. He affirmed the team’s readiness for the WAFU B U17 tournament in Accra, Ghana.
“The good news is that most of the players recorded good grades in their MRI results done at the NFF-approved medical centre, and the team is looking forward to a favourable outing at the WAFU B U17 tournament in Accra, Ghana.” he added.
The Golden Eaglets, five-time world champions and current WAFU B U17 titleholders, will commence their title defense against Burkina Faso on May 16th. However, ahead of the tournament, the team has participated in nine friendly matches, winning six, drawing two, and losing one.