With 2 overage players, Mizoram school passes test

KOLKATA: Govt Chawngfinga Middle School from Saidan Kolasib in Mizoram could breathe a sigh of relief on Wednesday as it was cleared to compete in the ongoing Subroto Cup Sub-junior Boys International Football Tournament being held in Bengaluru.
It was among the three teams under investigation for fielding overage players but the school from the northeast state passed the test as only two players were found to be over the cut-off age, which is below the regulations of the tournament.Both these players won’t be allowed to play any part in the tournament any further.
And the team celebrated the good news by putting up a dominant display in their Group H game on the day as they thumped Indira Modern High School from Haryana 13-0.
However, the other two schools under investigation — Army Public School of Bhopal and Sanjeevan Vidyalaya of Kolhapur — could not evade punishment as both were disqualified on the third day of the tournament.
As a result, the total number of teams disqualified from the meet so far stands at five as three teams were already booted out on the opening day. An official announcement of this effect was made by Subroto Mukerjee Sports Education Society, which is under the aegis of Air Force Sports Control Board (AFSCB).
Meanwhile, the decision to disqualify the two teams on the day was taken after the results of the Skeletal Age Estimation Test, which was conducted as per the regulations of the tournament and the criteria set by All India Football Federation (AIFF), were received on Wednesday.
“The above mentioned teams were found out to field more than four players who were above the cut-off age which led to the disqualification of the teams,” added a release from the organisers.
The three teams which were disqualified earlier are Nazareth Model High School from Dima Hasao in Assam, Nehru Public School from Jamuai in Bihar and Ultou Govt Model High School from Bishnupur in Manipur. The matches played by the disqualified teams were also declared null and void.
According to the release a total of 65 players underwent the Skeletal Age Estimation Test in which 23 players passed and 42 players failed the test. The players who failed the test will not take any part in the tournament.