BY JULIET EKWENUGO, Kaduna
A former spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Nosike Ogbuenyi, has urged the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to introduce an Over-40 World Cup to keep retired football stars in the global spotlight.
Ogbuenyi, who submitted the proposal to FIFA through the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, said the competition would enable veteran players to continue showcasing their talents while giving fans more opportunities to watch their football idols.
The former two-time Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister said many Nigerian football legends had become less visible since retiring from active football.
“Here in Nigeria, we have seen our most talented and best of all times retire and become less visible publicly. We, the football fans, find it difficult to keep track of our legends and stars like Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amunike, Obafemi Martins, Vincent Enyeama and John Obi Mikel,” he said.
Ogbuenyi proposed that the tournament should be open to players aged 40 to 65, noting that several former international stars around the world could attract significant interest from football fans.
Among those he mentioned were Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, David Beckham, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Xavi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo de Lima, Roberto Carlos, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry.
Others included Gabriel Batistuta, Michael Owen, Oliver Kahn, Miroslav Klose, Manuel Neuer, Lothar Matthaus and Keisuke Honda.
He said the proposed competition would promote fitness among former players, provide them with an additional source of income and create opportunities for them to mentor younger footballers.
According to him, the tournament would also enable retired stars to contribute to football development in their countries while giving active players a glimpse of opportunities beyond their regular professional careers.
Ogbuenyi further argued that the competition could help discourage age cheating in youth and senior football categories by giving players another competitive platform to look forward to as they grow older.
On eligibility, he proposed that only players who had represented their countries at senior international level should qualify, adding that they must have retired from senior international football before participating in the veterans’ category.
On the financial viability of the proposal, Ogbuenyi expressed confidence that the tournament could generate revenue for FIFA through television broadcasting rights, corporate sponsorships and commercial partnerships.
Explaining why he chose the period surrounding Messi’s retirement to submit the proposal, he said the Argentine star’s career had reinforced his belief that football needed a platform to keep legendary players in the public eye.
“I have found this period of the retirement of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi, the more auspicious time to submit this proposal,” he said.
Ogbuenyi added that he first conceived the idea following the retirement of former Nigerian international, Jay-Jay Okocha, about 15 years ago but waited for a moment that could attract greater international attention to the proposal.
He said he had no personal interest in the proposal, describing it as an initiative borne out of his passion for football and a desire to make the game more entertaining for fans.
“I am not making any claims for bringing up this idea and putting it across through this proposal to FIFA. I am just writing as a football fan who wants the world to be happier through more football games entertainment,” he said.
He expressed confidence that FIFA would consider and approve the proposal as an innovation to further develop the game.
Ogbuenyi is currently an Assistant Editor with Premium Times. He has also worked with Nigerian newspapers, including The Champion, The Comet, The Sun and ThisDay.
