Okocha, Maicon, Mboma, 147 other legends to feature in inaugural Veterans World Cup

Former Super Eagles Captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Brazil legend, Douglas Maicon and retired Cameroun great, Patrice Mboma, are among former stars from across the world billed to feature in the inaugural Veteran Clubs World Cup (VCWC) slated to hold in Kigali, Rwanda, next year.

According to the organisers of the competition, the maiden VCWC will feature players from all the regions of the world, including women legends, who will take part in the football competition and also economic forums.

Some of the players already listed for the competition, the organisers said, are Charmaine Hooper, Robert Pires, Gaizka Mendieta, Wael Gomaa, Jimmy Gatete, Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, Anthony Baffoe, Roger Milla and Laura Georges.

Others are Lilian Thuram, Sonny Anderson, Louis Saha and Khalilou Fadiga. Teams at the championship will represent East and South Europe, North Africa and Middle East, North and West Europe, West and Central Africa, North and Central America, East and South Africa, South America, as well as Asia and Oceania.

Speaking at the media presentation of the championship in Lagos on Friday, Jesse Happy Ndongo of Easy Group, one of the competition’s partners, said the participants at the VCWC would also be part of business expos to hold side by side with the championship.

Ndongo said: “The championship will hold at the Amahoro Stadium and two other venues in Kigali. The teams are regional selections that will consider the popularity of the legends and the stories they have to tell, as well as those veterans that have invested in their communities’ development.

“The first three editions will hold in Rwanda, but it could move to other zones with time. It is a yearly event that will continually incorporate new legends as they retire from the game.”

Apart from football, the other activities to be held at the event, Ndongo said, are a youth expo, multisport competition, which will include tennis challenges and an amateur competition featuring youths from various communities.

“The competition will have about 32 women legends because each team is expected to register at least two retired female legends in their squad,” he said.