Aizawl: The Mizoram Football Association (MFA) has taken a proactive step towards combating age fraud in football by introducing an innovative Amnesty Programme aimed at rectifying discrepancies in players’ age-related documentation.

The Amnesty Programme seeks to promote fair play and inclusivity within the sport by providing a pathway for players who have inaccuracies between their documented birth dates and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Centralized Registration System (CRS).

This initiative comes amidst the Mizoram Football Association’s (MFA) ongoing efforts to uphold integrity in football competitions across Mizoram.

The MFA’s initiative follows earlier measures implemented ahead of the 2023-24 season, which mandated the submission of digital birth certificates aligned with the CRS for all participants in Mizoram Football Association (MFA)-organized age-group tournaments.

While these regulations aimed to ensure accurate age representation, they inadvertently barred some players from competing due to discrepancies in their documentation.

Recognizing the unintended consequences and the potential hindrance to young players’ development, the MFA has introduced the Amnesty Programme to rectify such discrepancies.

Under this programme, players can voluntarily disclose any inconsistencies and submit a government-issued digital birth certificate.

This documentation will enable them to participate in age-group competitions aligned with their corrected date of birth, with strict confidentiality maintained regarding their disclosure.

However, the MFA clarified that the Amnesty Programme’s scope is limited to its jurisdiction within Mizoram.

Selection for the Mizoram State Team in AIFF age-group National Football Championships (NFCs) will continue to be based on the AIFF CRS, which integrates with the AIFF Competition Management System (CMS).

The association has urged stakeholders including the AIFF, state and district football associations, clubs, academies, coaches, players, guardians, and parents to collectively address and combat age fraud.

Earlier, the MFA proposed a comprehensive Voluntary Disclosure for Age Fraud programme at the AIFF’s 2024 Annual General Body Meeting, drawing inspiration from successful initiatives by other Indian sports bodies like the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

However, the proposal awaits further consideration from the AIFF.