MEMBERS of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were expected in Lagos yesterday to meet with the national U-17 World Cup team, which has been rocked by an age crisis.

A member of the board, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian in Abuja during the FIFA Under-17 World Cup draws that about 16 members of coach John Obuh's team failed the age test conducted on the team using the MIR scanning machine.

The discovery that most of the players are well above the prescribed age, he disclosed, has put Nigeria's chances of retaining the title in doubt, adding that the NFF was now trying to ensure that the team did not tarnish the country's image.

"FIFA will test all the teams taking part in the competition before they are registered to play. We don't want anything that will rubbish all we have done in age group competitions hence we are planning to ensure that only U-17 players were picked to represent Nigeria in the competition," he said.

Among the issues on the NFF agenda in Lagos, according to the source, is finding a system that will stop age cheats from making Nigerian youth teams, as well as ways of ensuring that parents come out to tell the truth about the ages of their wards.

"We have been preparing this team for close to two years, and now we have to start afresh with the competition barely two months away. This is unfortunate," he added.

"It is beyond our control, but I think the solution to this type of thing is a legislation that makes it a criminal offence to use false age declaration to feature in competitions. It is pure sabotage."

The team's technical crew had last month dropped some players based on age discrepancies, leaving the remaining 27. With 16 out of the team now, coach Obuh is said to be working hard to get new players in the team.

The Guardian learnt that Obuh's strategies is a plan 'B' programme, in which the coaches have been training another set of players alongside the main team. This new team, a source disclosed, might now be drafted to feature in the competition.