Shillong, Sep 11: Meghalaya were barred from competing at this year’s Sub-Junior Boys’ National Football Championship (Tier 1) after one or more of their players were found to be outside the age restriction.
Details are sketchy but we’re hoping to find out more from the Meghalaya Football Association.
What TSR learnt last night is that both Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh were disqualified due to this issue, though we can’t confirm the details about Arunachal.
The tournament began in Bangalore on 7th September. Meghalaya had been drawn in Group C with Mizoram, Odisha and Delhi, while Arunachal had meant to be in Group A along with Karnataka, Punjab and Bihar.
Following the disqualifications, both these groups have carried on with only three teams in each.
Age screening isn’t an exact science. Officials use different methods to try and ensure that players meet age restrictions. These range from scrutinising birth certificates, having a look at a child’s teeth up to carrying out X-rays and MRIs.
Meghalaya are usually strong contenders in this tournament, having won it several times, most recently in 2019-20. Coincidentally, their opponents in the final that year were Arunachal.
