Friday, the FIFA confirmed that the age bar may lift
at the Tokyo Olympics so that players who were eligible
to participate in 2020 will not be absent from
competitions after the games postponed to the
following year.
Usually, the men’s Olympic soccer competition is
restricted to teams under the age of 23, and each team is
allowed only three players over that age.
However, the International Federation said in a statement
that a working group created by FIFA recommended, on
Friday, that the competition continue to be open to
players born on or after January 1, 1997, as initially
planned.
The working group also recommended the postponement
of all international matches scheduled for June, a
formality in light of the European Championship 2020
and the Copa America already delayed due to the
Covid 19-pandemic.
The FIFA said: “FIFA affirms that health must always be
the priority and the primary component of any decision-
making process, especially in these difficult times.”
It also recommended postponing the FIFA U-20
Women’s World Cup, which was hosted by Panama
and Costa Rica in August and September, and the FIFA
U-17 Women’s World Cup in India, which was
scheduled for November.
FIFA said a decision on the World Cup inside the halls in
Lithuania in September should made at the end of this
month.
