A leading contender for the presidency of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Segun Solanke, has reaffirmed his commitment to restoring integrity to Nigerian football by giving genuine young players the opportunity to excel, describing the fight against age cheating as a top priority of his administration if elected.
Speaking during one of his consultations with football stakeholders, Solanke said Nigerian football can only regain its lost glory by creating a system that identifies, nurtures and promotes talented youngsters based on merit rather than manipulation of age.
According to him, age cheating has denied many gifted young footballers the opportunity to represent Nigeria at youth competitions, while also damaging the country’s credibility on the international stage.
“If elected as President of the Nigeria Football Federation, one of my major priorities will be to ensure that our youth competitions truly belong to young players. We must discourage age cheating by building a transparent player development structure that rewards talent, discipline and honesty,” Solanke declared.
The Chief Executive Officer, Olumo United Football Club noted that when players feature in age-grade competitions at their rightful ages, they develop naturally and enjoy longer, more successful professional careers both at club and international levels.
“Our objective is not just to win youth tournaments but to produce footballers who will serve Nigeria for many years at the senior level. When players are rushed into competitions through age falsification, their careers are often shortened, and the country ultimately loses.”
The NFF presidential hopeful stressed that countries with successful football development programmes focus on grassroots talent identification, quality coaching and proper age verification, adding that Nigeria must adopt the same standards.
Solanke also promised to strengthen grassroots football, improve scouting networks across the federation and provide equal opportunities for talented youngsters from every part of the country.
He maintained that Nigeria possesses abundant football talent capable of dominating Africa and competing with the world’s best, provided the right structures are put in place.
“My administration will build a football system where every talented child has a fair chance to succeed. We will restore confidence in our youth teams, discourage age cheating and ensure that Nigerian football once again becomes a model for sustainable player development.”
The Lagos based Football administrator said his vision is to build a new generation of Super Eagles and Super Falcons stars who will proudly represent the nation over a long period, ensuring continuity and sustained success for Nigerian football.