NIS Calls For Players Data Monitoring

Head of Football Department, National Institute for Sports (NISports), Ndaks Lawrence, yesterday called for a detailed monitoring of players’ data, in order to stem the rampant incidence of age-cheats in the country.

Lawrence told newsmen in Lagos that the irregularity was mostly associated with the country’s cadet football programmes.

“We expect that football administrators in the country should take extra steps to have honest records of personal data of players in the game before engaging them.

“It will not be too much if they could go as far as their primary schools to get the details so as to solve the menace of overage players in our age grade teams.

“We have to do this as we make efforts to transform sports in the country,” he said.

He added that the “must win syndrome” that characterised our football has made age-cheats to be rife in the country.

He complained that many players who represented the country in our age grade teams, could not transit to the senior team because they had doctored their birth certificates.

“Most of our coaches ignore their players’ data because they want to win every match or competitions at all times,” he stressed.

Ndaks urged the government to organise more seminars to sensitise coaches and players about the endemic effects of featuring over-age players in competitions they were not qualified for.