Africa’s age testing saga must be a ‘watershed moment’ for global sport
It’s an issue that has plagued African football for many years – but nonetheless, the recent excitement surrounding age tests surrounding the regional qualifiers for this year’s Africa U17 Cup contained a touch of farce.
Ahead of a scheduled five-team tournament in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had to pull out at the last minute after 25 of 40 players were found overwhelmed according to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
Chad at least made it to Cameroon before being disqualified by tests during the tournament, while the hosts were forced to dismiss more than 30 potential players who failed the tests ordered by former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto’o who had not passed before the tournament were now president of the country’s football association (Fecafoot).
But speaking to BBC Sport Africa, a leading sports scientist who has advised national football associations around the world has questioned the consistent application of the age-defining biomarkers provided by the tests, saying the saga needs to be a ‘watershed moment “.
“What is measured by the MRI may not be the most accurate way to measure this person’s age,” said Dr. Adam Hawkey, Associate Professor of Sport Science and Human Performance at Solent University Southampton.
“If you don’t take regular measurements on a person of a certain age that you can prove, and you’ve collected that data over a period of time, then their biomarkers will (potentially) show, relative to the available data, that they’re older.
“Action must be taken to understand this person as a person, not just as an athlete.
“There are some issues and there is sympathy for some of these players, who may well be 17 – but also some appreciation for the work that is being done to make the sport fairer,” he added.
“We need to ensure that these player banning measures are as accurate as possible.”
How the test works
World football association Fifa introduced MRI scans at the 2009 U17 World Cup in Nigeria.
Years of accusations and allegations against African youth football preceded this decision.
MRI scans use magnetic fields and radio waves to penetrate the skin, allowing medical professionals to see things like bones and organs underneath.
In this case, MRI examines the bones in a player’s wrist, looking for biomarkers produced, with the most common used to differentiate between age groups being the rate of fusion between the bone and its cartilage, a strong, flexible tissue that sits in joints to form a protective covering to add.
An “opportunity” to improve players’ health
In addition to his work with national football associations, Dr. Hawkey has also advised various Olympic committees and professional bodies on health and performance issues, including administering various tests to English Premier League footballers.
He believes this must be a wake-up call for the sport on many fronts, to encourage more rigorous and regular testing around the world – not just when it comes to age.
“There’s an opportunity here to use technology like MRI scans to test a whole range of other factors related to heart risk in young people, heart failure, etc.
“It’s no different than WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), which has to regularly review how they assess the effects of steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.
“The people involved are individuals, they are people.
“Not only do we need to mentor them for their future careers, but we also need to use this technology to detect any possible health issues that might arise.”
In 2003, midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died after collapsing mid-game during a game for Cameroon. One of his teammates in that game, Modeste M’Bami, recently died after suffering a heart attack when he was just 40 years old.
Foe’s tragedy was the first high-profile example, but heart problems have since plagued numerous players on the pitch, including Manchester United’s Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen, who is now playing again after collapsing during a Euro 2020 game.
“We’ve reached a tipping point where we have the technology, the expertise and the knowledge, and it’s just a matter of making sure we’re doing it in the most professional way possible,” said Dr. hawkey
“Clubs, countries and organizations like Fifa have a real responsibility to ensure the well-being of all those who take part in this wonderful sport, football.”
The fight against age fraud
dr Hawkey believes that the problem directly related to age testing cannot be solved overnight due to the complexity of the aging process.
However, he fully supports the idea that widespread testing should begin now, to augment a database of results that is currently extremely small and unrepresentative of a diverse global population.
“Unfortunately, there is currently not a single indicator that can be used as a gold standard to estimate the aging process,” says the 45-year-old.
“For the last 50 years, researchers have been trying to develop a test that will fit across generations.
“The best we’ve come up with so far is some sort of biological age that combines multiple biomarkers, including blood measurements, bone density, and mathematical modelling.
“This has to be handled very carefully and right now Fifa has to work with the information they have and they’re going to have to support each other in terms of what they’re doing in terms of scientific research.”
Eventually, the abridged qualifiers in the central zone for the U17 Cup of Nations were completed and Cameroon and Congo-Brazzaville qualified for the finals in Algeria, with Central African Republic missing out on the only team.
Whether organizers can do anything to avoid similar disruptions ahead of the 12-team tournament in April remains to be seen.
The BBC has reached out to Fifa, which could not be reached for comment, and the Confederation of African Football (Caf) for comment.