The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is prioritising a pre-camp MRI test for Golden Eaglets players ahead of the WAFU Zone B U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
This was revealed by Francis Achi, the team media officer, in an interview with Punch Sports Extra. He noted that the NFF is committed to selecting players within the age bracket.
He explained that the action was taken to prevent scenarios in the past where teams suffered severe depletion after players who had passed the screening exercise were cut after the MRI test was negative.
Achi claims that all players scouted by coach Manu Garba and invited to the Golden Eaglets camp are required to have an MRI scan at specific NFF-approved facilities.
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The Nigerian U-17 team will be in Group B of the qualifiers, which will be staged in Accra, Ghana, following the draws made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) last Friday.
The hosts of the tournament, Ghana, will trade tackles with Ivory Coast and Benin in Group A during the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from May 15th to May 28th in Accra.
The draws come days after the coach of the Nigerian U-17 national team, Manu Garba, invited no fewer than 51 players to the camp of the Golden Eaglets ahead of the tournament.
