Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Association for Secondary School Heads (Nash) has adopted stringent measures to curb the disturbing rate of age cheating in schools’ sport.This year, schools caught in age cheating acts will be fined $500 per player in the 26th edition of the Copa Coca-Cola soccer tournament scheduled for Bulawayo in July in a bid to guarantee a credible future for the competition.

The tournament is for boys Under-16 and girls Under-17.

Schools’ sport has for years been considered a haven for age cheats and Nash is finally facing up to its chequered past and trying to clean its image by imposing a stringent disciplinary rod as a deterrent to such acts.

The launch of this year’s Copa Coca-Cola competition is set for Friday at Masvingo’s Chidyamakono High School.

Nash head-in-charge of football, Albert Mucheka said the falsification of ages was disturbing as worthy champions could not to be identified to the detriment of budding talent.

Mucheka said the use of over-age players in such competitions was a big setback to football development and stamping out age cheats would help quicken the rebuilding process of the local game.

“Provincial chairpersons met to discuss age cheating and it was agreed that we destroy this cancerous cheating bud once and for all by imposing stiff penalties,” said Mucheka.

“Schools have been warned that we won’t hesitate to fine them $500 for each player found to be over-age during vetting exercises. Besides this prohibitive fine, it was agreed that each pupil participating in the Copa Coca-Cola tournament has to bring their Grade 7 results for vetting purposes,” he said.

Nash has also resolved that headmasters be involved in the vetting exercises and demanded that parents furnish them with their children’s contact details in case there is need to verify players’ ages.

Former Warriors’ coach Norman Mapeza, Dynamos assistant coach Tonderai Ndiraya and coaches association’s Bheki Nyoni were highly disturbed by widespread age cheating at last year’s Copa Coca-Cola finals held in Harare.

Twenty-four schools will compete at the finals, with each province sending two representatives — a boys’ and girls’ team.

Defending champions in both categories get automatic qualification together with the host schools.

Chidyamakono High from Masvingo Province is the defending girls’ champions while Chemhanza High of Wedza in Mashonaland East is the reigning boys’ title holder.

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