21 Feb 2008(Thu)

February 20, 2008: Full marks to the Asian Football Confederation for punishing several national football associations for fielding overage players in an age-group competition.

North Korea, Iraq and Tajikistan have been fined and disqualified from this year's Asian Under-16 Championship following the results of MRI tests during qualifying, while five others who did not qualify -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and Macau -- were fined.

This is a step in the right direction for the football authorities, but they have an impossible task to stamp it out completely due to the systematic abuse of the regulations.

It all reminds me of an incident during the Asian Under-19 Championship in Jakarta in 1994, when Japan lost in the final to Syria.

Behind the scenes, everyone was talking about which teams were "clean" and which ones were not playing by the rules; and it was clear from the physical appearance of several players that their passports did not tell the whole story.

I remember conducting an interview with a Syrian player after they had won their semi-final. We were sitting in the main stand of the vast national stadium, with an interpreter helping us out.

The interview went smoothly back and forth until I came to my last point, a routine check on the player's personal details.

"Can I just get your date of birth," I asked, with absolutely no ulterior motive.

For the first time the interview stalled, and the interpreter became involved in a discussion with the player. Clearly there was some doubt about it, and the pair were beginning to look uncomfortable.

Then I realised why, and I think they could sense my embarrassment. The interview had gone well, they were very friendly and cooperative, so I ended the matter by digging in my bag and finding a team list, complete with the date of birth of all players.

"Here it is," I said. "Is this right?"

They nodded enthusiastically before we shook hands and went our separate ways; crisis averted.

The Japan team, by the way, was captained by the playmaker Suguru Ito, who would go on to join Nagoya Grampus Eight.

Koji Kumagai, whose career with Kashima Antlers would be dogged by injury, was named Best Defender, despite playing in central midfield, and Susumu Oki was up front.

Oh...and there was someone else I remember vaguely on Japan's right wing who looked pretty decent. Now what was his name? Hidetoshi something...

ends