Africa's great football stars, Okocha, Diouf, Song, and others, storm Lagos for their maiden African Heroes Penalty Cup

Posted : 04 May 2023

Organisers of the inaugural African Heroes Penalty Cup have announced the participation of some of Africa's finest football stars, ready to participate in the tournament scheduled in Lagos.

The organizers of the event, ABAJ Multilinks, said at a press briefing for the epoch novelty competition held at the Radisson Hotel Ikeja that the competition would attract some of the best football stars on the African continent.

The organizers also unveiled the venue of the eight-nation competition, which would be the iconic Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly Onikan Stadium, on Lagos Island.

The eight African nations participating in the competition at a yet-to-be-announced date include Nigeria as host, Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Cote d'Ivoire, and South Africa.

The players expected are: Nigeria, Austin Okocha, Daniel Amokachi, and Finidi George; Senegal, El-Hadji Diouf, Henri Camara, and Khalilou Fadiga; South Africa, Lucas Radebe, Siphiwe Tshabalala, and Mark Fish; Cameroon, Rigobert Song, and Patrick Mboma.

Representatives of Ghana are John Mensah, Asamoah Gyan, and Stephen Appiah; Cote d'Ivoire is Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou, and Emmanuel Eboue; Mali is Seydou Keita, Frederick Kanoute, and Mohammed Sissoko; and Morocco has Mustapha Hadji, Marouane Chamakh, and Youssouf Hadji.

The referees are Kalusha Bwalya and Titi Camara. The Chief Executive of ABAJ Multilinks, Dapo Ajibade, said that the competition would bring back the memories of the retired football greats and what they had done during their hay days of football.

"It is an honor to share the excitement of this unique tournament and to have some of the greatest players on the continent gracing the field again."

"These legends are the toast of African football, and they are ready to share once again their talents on the field doing what they know how to do best."

"We also invite fans to come once again to celebrate these heroes by paying tributes to them when the competition starts later in the year," he said.

Explaining further, Ajibade said that the Africa Heroes Penalty Cup would be an annual sporting event to be hosted by different countries as approved.

"The concept of the penalty cup is to bring together football legends to compete against one another using the ultimate tie-breaker in the game, which is penalty kicks."

"Penalty kicks have proven to be the most important in deciding the winners without much dependence on the team."

"Penalty also promotes fair play, and it's down to individual capacity, which also comes with suspense and also creates excitement and fun," he said.

The tournament facilitator, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, noted that the competition would be an avenue to re-unite with his friends and colleagues with whom they had once played football together.

This event will bring together some of the greatest players of all time who have thrilled and entertained fans for decades.

The tournament will showcase the incredible skills, talents, and athleticism of these legends as they take to the fields once again to compete at this level.

"The match will be filled with drama, excitement, and memories that will last a lifetime."

"The tournament is not only about the legends but also the fans because it will provide the opportunity for all football fans to come together and celebrate the sport we all love," he said.

Okocha explained that the idea to have the tournament as a penalty game was borne out of the fact that penalty was a complete fair game devoid of controversies.

"Penalty is the most unbiased part of football, and importantly, teams cannot be cheated on penalties."

"Penalties have been used to separate games and are a great decider; most important competitions, especially the World Cup, have been decided through penalties."

"This competition will bring us back as families, memories and all.

" Some of us have made immense sacrifices for the game; during our time, we didn't have the luxuries that football enjoys now. "We travel several kilometers by road, but now a player can fly his own private jet to the match venue," he said.

Africa's great football stars, Okocha, Diouf, Song, and others, storm Lagos for their maiden African Heroes Penalty Cup

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