Benin have suffered automatic disqualification from the WAFU B U-17 zonal qualifiers over age fraud.
This is after compulsory MRI tests – conducted in Niger – to determine player ages detected more than half of their squad to have gone beyond grade 5 mark set by the CAF medical team.
Benin have 8 eligible players left but remain short of the needed squad size to compete in the seven-nation tournament to determine the WAFU zone B representative at next year’s U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Disqualified players (10):
Gounon A. Sophiane, Yessoufou Ahmed Shereef, Salami Zouli Koufouli Achamou, Ehoue Pavlek Septime, Tito Tounde Barnabé, Kougneadjo Dominique, Hlakougbe Matei Samsson, Tchetchao David, Anato Armel Feliciano and Dossoumou Amir.
Neighbouring Nigeria and Ivory Coast had two players each sent home while hosts Niger also recorded one failure.
Benin’s exit means Group B of the qualifiers is now made up of Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. In Group A are hosts Niger, Ghana and Togo.
Niger open the U-17 qualifiers against Togo at 3pm on Sunday.
The tournament will determine which team from WAFU Zone B takes part in the 2019 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Tanzania.
