LUSAKA, Dec. 8 -- Three-time Africa Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele Ayew has said that the continent should clampdown on age cheating if the region is to harness its full potential from its young talent to make it a serious soccer powerhouse.

In Lusaka Friday on a continued nine-nation Africa Cup trophy road show sponsored by the tournament's sponsors Stanbic Bank, Pele said "we always have problems with ages of our players in Africa with ages cut from 25 to 17," Pele said.

The Post Saturday quoted him as saying "they shine for a few years then they fade and the problems is all over the continent and in all countries". Pele said that a long-term African star like him or Kalusha Bwalya is only born from nurturing youth players who can play their football from an early age to well over 35 years.

He said it was difficult to say who would be the revelation of next year's MTN Africa Cup of Nations that his homeland Ghana will host next month.

Pele is on a three-day tour of Zambia with the Africa Cup Trophy as Stanbic Bank's ambassador for the event. The road show has taken Pele's four-man entourage to Namibia, Uganda and Botswana and will make its next stop in Mozambique. The tour will resume after Christmas to Angola, South Africa and Nigeria before winding up in Ghana