DRC has withdrawn from the 2023 Afcon U17 after 25 out of 40 players failed mandatory age testing.

The Central Africans were set to take part in the competition’s qualifying tournament scheduled for this month in Cameroon.

The players were invited for MRI scans ahead of the games and the majority failed the tests.

The scans are used to determine a player’s age by scanning their wrists and measuring bone growth.

A statement by the Congolese football federation (Fecofa) said it was forced to withdraw after “only 15 were eligible and 25 failed of the 40 players submitted for MRI testing.”

La #FECOFA a décidé du retrait de la sélection U17 du Tounoi zonal #U17 de #UNIFFAC prévu à Limbe au Cameroun #RDC #RDCongo pic.twitter.com/OEc89GA2sR

— FECOFA (@fecofa_kinshasa) January 9, 2023

This is not the first time that a participating team at the qualifying tournament has engaged in age fraud scandal.

The Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) announced last week that 21 out of the 30 players selected to represent the nation failed the age testing.