A former spokesman of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mr Nosike Ogbuenyi, has advocated for the introduction of a new age grade global football competition by Fédération Internationale de Football Association, (FIFA) for mature veteran players aged 40 years and above. Speaking after he submitted a proposal for the new tournament to FIFA through the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, Ogbuenyi said the introduction of FIFA Over-40 World Cup “will make the football loving world to continue to watch the best of all times on the field of play for a longer period.”
Speaking on the heels of the retirement on 6 October of one of football’s greatest of all times, Lionel Messi of Argentina, the two-time Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister said: “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”.
Beyond Nigeria, the former image maker of the FCT Administration said there are several football players below 65 that fans would like to continue to watch in action even as they age. He gave examples of such gifted players as Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Gabriel Batistuta, Michael Owen, David Beckham, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Xavi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Oliver Kahn, Miroslav Klose, Manuel Neuer, Lothar Matthaus , Ronaldinho Gaucho, Ronaldo de Lima, Roberto Carlos, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Zinedine Zidane, Thiery Henry and Keisuke Honda.
Ogbuenyi who suggested that only players between the ages of 40 and 65 should participate in the proposed tournament listed some of its advantages to include promotion of fitness, helping to keep ex football stars in spotlight after senior football, provision of source of income for the mature players and serving as medium to motivate and guide the younger footballers.
Other merits include helping to keep the older stars closer to their countries and thereby continuing to contribute their quota to the development of the generations next and the football game generally, providing professionals with hope of what to transit to after retiring from the more rigorous and intensive youth and senior football career and enabling fans to keep following their football idols for longer periods.
He also said the introduction of the Over-40 World Cup would discourage age cheating in youth and senior football categories as many players will start looking forward to reaching age 40 to enable them qualify to represent their countries in the mature vetera Over-40 category.
Regarding rules to guide the tournament, Ogbuenyi suggested that no footballer should represent his country in the veterans Over-40 category without first retiring from senior international football. He further suggested that only players who had represented their countries at senior level can be eligible to participate in the veterans category.
On financial viability, he said the tournament is expected to be profitable for FIFA in view of the fact that it will attract the crème de la crème (the best ever) of the game adding that TV rights sale and company partnerships will boost funding.
With regard to timing of his proposal, Ogbuenyi stated as follows: “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. As the iconic Argentine footballer bowed out after 21-year old international soccer career on Tuesday 6 October 2026, I kept wondering how the football world would look like if FIFA creates a new tournament that would give opportunity for talismanic players such as Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jay Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo and others to continue to exhibit their skills on the global stage.
“In fact, I first started nursing this idea when Jay Jay Okocha, Nigeria’s most adored football prodigy retired about 15 years ago. But I had to wait for this moment of Messi’s retirement to submit the proposal because of the anticipated global momentum.”
Ogbuenyi said he has no personal interest or claim submitting the proposal, stressing: “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 expressed confident that his proposal will be properly evaluated and approved by FIFA as a further innovation for betterment of the game of football.
Ogbuenyi who currently works as an Assistant Editor with Premium Times, a leading online newspaper in Nigeria had previously The Champion, The Comet, The Sun and ThisDay newspapers in Nigeria.
