By Andrew Warshaw
November 5 – FIFA vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein has called for the abolition of football’s overage player rule for the Olympic Games saying it does nothing to enhance the credibility of the event.
Prince Ali (pictured top), President of the Jordan Football Association (JFA), says the regulation that allows for three players to be over the age of 23 does not comply with the objectives of the tournament and should be scrapped.
Ever since it was introduced in 1992 to give an equal chance to Olympic teams and make the tournament seem more attractive, the overage player rule has courted controversy with some countries fielding their best three overage players and others virtually ignoring the rule.
Prince Ali says the Olympics is essentially an under-23 competition and should stay that way.
“First of all the qualifiers are an under-23 event without the three overage players,” he told insideworldfootball.
“It’s very unfair to put them in just for finals in terms of the players who got to you there in the first place.
“FIFA should have a say in this.
“How can you have an athlete not competing in the qualifiers suddenly being allowed to take part in the finals?”
Prince Ali does not buy the argument that parading big-name stars at the Games makes the tournament more exciting for the fans.
“Under-23 teams have stars anyway,” he insisted.
“You don’t need this additional aspect.
“If three players who made it through the qualifiers are suddenly replaced, it’s not right.
“The team that qualifies should be the team that plays.”
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