Ghana Football Association technical director, Oti Akenteng has revealed the main purpose for which FIFA organised world cup at the U-17 was previously abused by some countries if not all.
The former Heart of Lions trainer was a member of the technical team that led Ghana in her last conquest with the Ghana Black Starlets squad at the Ecuador 1995 FIFA U17 world cup and knows better making such a candid opinion on what has been termed ‘age cheating’ at the youth level of world football.
Ghana’s national U17 team popularly known as the Black starlets was banned for a year after it emerged had fielded an ineligible player for an AFCON U17 qualifier against Cameroun. The use over-aged player got Ghana disqualified from the competition and had Cameroun reinstated.
Head coach of the Black Starlets, Paa Kwesi Fabian and Oti Akenteng are leading a team of other technical head as the search for the next crop of players to represent Ghana at the U17 continues.
As his previous experience with the national U17 team suggests, Oti Akenteng’s acknowledgement of there might have been some ineligible players involved with the U17 only confirms why the gobverning body of world football – FIFA is frowning hard on age cheating.
In an interview with Boss fm in Kumasi, Oti Akenteng said, “FIFA’s plan for the U-17 tournament is to help develop youth talent and not to win to witness who wins the trophy whether by hook or crook. The world cup competition at the youth level is a means to make the most out of the players who are deemed ‘raw’ talents” at that level of the game.”
“I believe in the development of 13/15-year old players over a period of 5-years, gather them for a competition at the youth stage and then they will grow into the other national teams as well than selecting over aged players to a U-17 world cup, win the trophy and then that’s all,” he added.
The technical team of the Black Starlets on Tuesday published the names of the 40 players selected for the Phase Two of the selection process at Ghanaian soccer school at Prampram.
FIFA U-17 World Cup Is For Dev"t Not ... - Oti Akenteng
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