VCWC prepares to set Rwanda aglow with 150 football legends

Posted : 06 October 2023

In a big move to promote tourism, investment and sports development, Veteran Clubs World Championship (VCWC) a global initiative has launched an audacious project to attract 150 football legends to Rwanda for sporting and business attractions.

The project area in which VCWC is targeting includes creating an important economic, health, tourism, peace, education and business forum hub for Rwanda, and the project is expected to improve the health and socioeconomic situation of the populations there.

Speaking on the great benefits from the project VCWC Rwanda 2024, Fred Siewe, the founder of the Veteran Clubs World Championship (VCWC) at the tour visit to Nigeria and media presentation held at Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island said that the project would create immense economic and sports development benefits to Rwanda.

He said that the project VCWC would tremendously improve the economy of Rwanda adding that the project committee has been in constant touch with the government of Rwanda.

Siewe also motioned that the project VCWC 2024 would have two broad programmes which include the Legend Tournament in which 150 football legends will participate in football competition to afford the youths of Rwanda, an opportunity to interact with the legends.

The football legends according to him will have captains expected from East/ South Europe, North/West Europe, South America, North Africa/Middle East, West/Central Africa, East/South Africa and Asia/Oceania.

The team captains for the legends line-up include Charmaine Hooper, Robert Pires, (Arsenal legend), Gaizka Mendita (Spanish Legend), Wael Gomaa (Egyptian legend), Maicon Douglas (Brazilian legend), Patrick Mboma (Cameroon legend), Jimmy Gatete (Rwandan legend) and Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (Japanese legend).

Others are Anthony Baffoe, Roger Milla, Louis Saha, Sonny Anderson, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Laura George, Khalilou Fadiga, and Lilian. Thuram.

The second main programme according to Siewe is Economic forum which would allow for robust interactions, seminars and debates on economic growth and development that would inculcate sessions such as, Tourism, Peace Forum, Health Forum, Education Forum and Business Forum.

For public participation, the organisers said that the VCWC 2024 project would have four communities in which participants all over the world can join which include Business Club, Youth Club, Media Club and Amateur Club.

Explaining further, Siewe said the membership of the communities would be on a yearly renewable term.

The members would get all-access tickect for a fee of $250.

Answering questions during the forum, Siewe highlited several points that make the VCWC unique, part of which he said was that the VCWC project would be a lifelong programme that would transcend the initiators.

He added Rwanda would host the first three editions, while the organisers will explore other options on hosting it in other countries.

Siewe also revealed the plan of the organisers in making the VCWC a world football governing body, FIFA recognized event; he also added that the organisers expected that the VCWC project 2024 would help inspire the grassroots football development in Rwanda as well as the league.

One of Nigeria's greatest of all time football star, Austin Jay Jay Okocha said he was impressed with the ongoing development in Rwanda, adding that he least expected such development quietly going on in any African country.

"I am one of the happiest persons to be part of VCWC if not the happiest, because this is one of the things that we have been craving for, a platform whereby we can still be relevant, for some of us, that are out of active football and not out there.

"Besides football, I tried to find other challenges and I also tried businesses because business is synonymous with the area in which I grew up, that is Enugu.

"I have some things that I do that I don't talk publicity about, which is the charity that I do, I could have gone or solicited for support but I resisted such because I won't feel the pain of my sacrifice.

"I'm also involved in making my animated series for the kids because I thought about a way to relate with this generation, knowing that some of them did not watch me play during my days in football.

"Thank God for technology now, YouTube, and FIFA because I still get the recognition, but I thought about how to create a relationship between myself and this young generation.

"I thought about my animated series called 'Jay Jay the Chosen one' as an 11-year-old boy that grew in Enugu. I am also into Real Estate," he said.

On his impression about Kigali after the Legends Conference, Okocha said he was surprised with the development he saw in Rwanda.

"I will struggle to describe my experience in Kigali, I wasn't expecting what I saw there. It beats my imagination.

"I was not in Kigali only because of the VCWC, but I was there for FIFA congress. First, I was wondering why FIFA took its congress to Kigali until I got there.

"I was blown away to see that an African country is functioning; I have been to many African countries and other countries in the world and Kigali is the only place that I saw black people, Africa, functioning.

"I left Rwanda as a proud African and I thank the leadership in the country that put in place those structures that are functioning.

"I say well done to the President and the people of Rwanda," he said.

The Founder of VCWC said that the programme had been shifted to the third quarter of 2024 to accommodate other added incentives.

VCWC prepares to set Rwanda aglow with 150 football legends

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