The Asian Football Confederation has launched an investigation into allegations that Syria fielded overage players in its 5-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the under-19 championship.
A spokesman for the AFC said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia filed a complaint after its opening loss to Syria on Sunday in the United Arab Emirates. The complaint is being investigated by the AFC disciplinary committee and, if found to be true, would result in the team from war-torn Syria being expelled from the tournament and any of its victories nullified.
Syria has a history of fielding overage players in AFC tournaments. It was expelled along with Yemen two years ago from qualification for the under-16 championship after random MRI tests determined both teams were fielding overage players.
