Centurion - Following their victory in the Under-16 African School Champions Cup final, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been accused of age-cheating.
The two-day tournament was played over the weekend in Kinshasa, the capital of DRC.
Hosts DRC beat Senegal 3-1 to claim the top prize, and in the wake of their victory their have been calls to have the ages of the players verified.
African football journalist Thomas Kwenaite said: “You do not need to be a scientist to see that these are age cheats masquerading as 15-year-olds.
KwaZulu-Natal's Edendale Technical Girls school finished as runner's up in the U16 Africa Schools tournament after going down in the final against Morocco. 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦
— Soccerzela (@soccerzela) February 21, 2022
As for the 'Boys' section, DR Congo's U16 came out victorious........ 🤣![CDATA[]]>😬 Under 16..... pic.twitter.com/EN1QQypsuW
“Perhaps I’m wrong but their body language gives a hint that deep down they know what they are doing is totally wrong and a shame – to pretend they are 14 and 15 years old when in truth they are inching closer to 40 and pensionable ages.”
Kwenaite called on world football body Fifa to investigate the matter.
“Fifa should also hang their heads in shame for allowing this blatant cheating to proceed.”
The competition was held by Fifa in order to promote football development on the African continent.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino attended the final and presented the trophy to the winning team. Infantino, instead, praised the holding of a successful tournament.
The first African Schools Champions Cup concluded with Morocco winning the girls tournament; hosts Congo DR, the boys edition.
Speaking after the awards ceremony, the FIFA President said: "Everyone is going to work to ensure this party is even more beautiful next year."
Fifa posted a 3:22 video on their website with the above interview of Infantino, with only 15 seconds of visuals of the victory ceremony and no close-ups of the players.
“I am a happy man tonight,” said Infantino.
“Seeing those children smile, boys and girls, with joy in their eyes is wonderful. This is the beauty of football. DR Congo did a great job organising this event, which is the first edition of a fantastic competition that is going to become one of the biggest not only in Africa, but around the world too.”