Five hostel footballers banned over fake age info
LUCKNOW:Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh (UPFS) on Tuesday imposed a three-year ban on six players, including five from the state government-run sports hostels, following a report from the All India Football Federation for submitting fake age certificates.
The banned footballers include Manish Yadav and Ariz Mehmood (both from Bareilly Hostel), Amit Kumar Bagi, Manish Kumar Maurya (both from Faizabad Hostel), Vikas Rai (Varanasi Hostel) and Prince Saini (DFA, Saharanpur).
UPFS secretary Mohd Shamsddin, while announcing the ban on these players as disciplinary action, claimed that they produced fake age certificates, bearing different dates of birth.
“These boys lied about their age just to play in the age group tournament. The issue was raised by the All India Football Federation and the UPFS was embarrassed a lot,” stated Shamsddin.
“The disciplinary committee decided to impose a three-year ban on all these six players and the authorities at the Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate and the concerned regional sports offices too are being intimated about it,” he further said.
In fact, the UPFS’s expose has uncovered the alleged wrongdoings at the time of admission at the government-run sports hostels and sports colleges across the state even though when the UP Sports Directorate claims to have adopted best system to check the age fraud in the admission.
“It’s a tip of the iceberg. If you cross check all the admissions in sports hostels and colleges, you will find many discrepancies, including a plenty of overage sportspersons,” said a sports directorate insider, adding, “Now things at the federation levels have changed and it’s almost difficult for sportspersons to use short cuts to make it to the national championships.”
“In fact, it’s a big loss to the government’s money as government is spending over
Rs 1 lakh on one inmates at hostel and college throughout a year on his or her training etc. and if he or she are find overage, then the money goes waste,” he added.
He, however, suggested that MRI test of a student should be made mandatory at the time of admission in sports colleges and hostels.
“Instead of just accepting the age certificate, issued by the chief medical officer, we need to have other method to check this menace.”
Meanwhile, director sports RP Singh promised action if the issue was brought to his notice. “So far we don’t know how the AIFF did verification of the certificates. And if something comes to my knowledge, I would take appropriate action,” said Singh.
“In fact, we do adequate scrutiny and medical of players at the time of admissions in sports hostels and colleges,” he added.
THE BANNED FOOTBALLERS INCLUDE MANISH YADAV AND ARIZ MEHMOOD (BOTH FROM BAREILLY HOSTEL), AMIT KUMAR BAGI, MANISH KUMAR MAURYA (BOTH FROM FAIZABAD HOSTEL), VIKAS RAI (VARANASI HOSTEL) AND PRINCE SAINI (DFA, SAHARANPUR)