Twenty aspiring young football talents selected to join the prestigious Bayern Munich Academy Rwanda have been disqualified due to age-fixing, according to the Ministry of Sports.

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The Ministry announced this during a press conference held at their headquarters in Remera on Thursday, September 28.

The prospects were chosen on September 16 after an extensive nationwide talent search conducted by Rwanda's football governing body (FERWAFA) and the Ministry of Sports. Despite the unfortunate 'age-fixing' issues, Minister Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju emphasized that the selections were conducted fairly, based on the children's abilities.

Munyangaju stated: "The partnership between Rwanda and FC Bayern Munich shows great potential for the development of sports. When selecting the children, we assessed their skills, and they all showed promise.' However, upon rechecking their ages, it was discovered that some children had manipulated their birthdates with the assistance of their parents.”

Richard Mugisha, the Second Vice President of FERWAFA, addressed this issue, explaining that they were aware of the possibility of age cheating during the selection process. As a precaution, they had selected seven reserve children to replace any prospects found guilty of age cheating. Out of the initial 100 children selected nationwide, 43 have been deemed eligible to continue, with the additional seven hopefuls serving as replacements.

Mugisha said: "In collaboration with REB (Rwanda Education Board) and NIDA (National Identify Authority) we thoroughly checked the documents of those selected and discovered that 20 children had attempted to alter their birthdates both during and after the selection process. As a result, they have been dismissed from the academy.”

The 30 remaining children who meet the requirements have been enrolled in new schools, with high school students attending Lycée de Kigali and others studying at Groupe Scolaire de Kicukiro. They will receive coaching, medical support, and academic assistance. The academy will utilize IPRC rooms as their residential facility.

All expenses, including the salaries of the Bayern coaches who will be mentoring the children, will be covered by the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Sports.

In a separate programme, 10 young talents have been selected to represent Rwanda at the 'FC Bayern Youth Cup' slated for October 18-23, in Munich.

The Bayern Munich Academy is part of the five-year partnership between the German football giants and Visit Rwanda. It is expected to revolutionize football development in Rwanda while providing youngsters with a landmark opportunity to hone their talent and reach new heights in the sport.