FIFA has figured out how to catch overage players from sneaking into the under-17 World Cup due to kick off in Nigeria soon. Medical officers will carry out MRI scans of players’ wrists and by measuring the fusion of bones will be able to determine whether they are actually under 17.
The results from the Under-17 World Cups in 2003, 2005 and 2007, analysed retrospectively, showed that up to 35% of players were overage.