Age Controversy Surrounds Iran’s U17 World Cup Team in Match Against Morocco

Are the Iranian players older than what FIFA indicates? According to the world governing body of football, they were all born in 2006, and should therefore be 17 years old. On the web, these players are at the center of a controversy questioning their true year of birth. "Born in 2006? Are you surious?#IranU17," wonders AlmarssadPro, a Moroccan Internet user cited by H24info. The beards of these footballers - quite thick for 17-year-old adolescents - but also their height - the overwhelming majority of the team is over 180 cm tall - leave room for several interpretations. There are therefore major questions about their true date of birth.

The Moroccan national under-17 (U17) football team will face Iran at the Gelora Bung Tomo stadium in Surabaya on Tuesday at 1pm (GMT+1), for the round of 16 of the World Cup in the category. After completing the group stage at the top of Group A with 6 points (2 wins, one over Panama 2-0 and the other over the host country, Indonesia 3-1, and a loss to Ecuador 2-0), the Atlas Cubs, finalists of the last CAN (May 19, 2023, Algiers), will seek to qualify for the quarter-finals. Iran, for its part, finished 3rd in Group C (6 points/2 wins and 1 loss).