Former Ghana international Frimpong Manso has shockingly revealed that the country used over-aged players to compete in FIFA U17 tournaments some years ago.
The African powerhouse are three times winners of the FIFA U17 World Cup and Frimpong says Ghana was able to achieve the historic feat because players who featured for Ghana during those times didn’t use their correct age.
Speaking on Accra-based Happy FM in remembrance of Ghana’s famous 3-2 win over Brazil to win its second trophy exactly twenty-five years today in Ecuador, the Asante Kotoko legend said: ”We don’t get time for the youth side and our obsession of always wanting to win is a problem. I am happy that right now we’ve U15 side so let’s prepare them with a good progressing plan because our planning has always been wrong,”
Manso, a member of Black Stars 1992 Afcon silver winning team added that: ”In the olden days, we used over-aged players for the U17 competitions and we are now suffering in the long run. Back then there was no MRI to check the real age of players so we used over-aged players,”
Ghana first won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1991, but they lost the title against Nigeria in 1993 and reclaimed it in 1995 to win their second trophy.
