By OLANREWAJU AKOJEDE

Organisers of the inaugural African Heroes Penalty Cup have announced the participation of some of Africa’s finest football stars in the tournament scheduled to hold in Lagos later in the year.

The organisers of the event, ABAJ Multilinks, at a press briefing on Wednesday in Lagos, said the competition would attract some of the best football stars on the African continent.

The organisers said the competition, which would attract participants from eight countries would hold at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly known as Onikan Stadium, Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the eight African Nations participating in the competition include: Nigeria as host, Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Cote D’Ivoire and South Africa.

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

Representatives of Ghana are: John Mensah, Gyan and Stephen Appiah; Cote D’Ivoire has Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou and Emmanuel Eboue; Mali has Seydou Keita, Frederick Kanoute and Mohammed Sissoko, while 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 the competition would bring back the memories of the retired football greats and what they had done during their hay days.

“It is an honour to share the excitement of this unique tournament and honour 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 tribute to them when the competition starts later in the year,” he said.

Explaining further Ajibade said the African 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 team.

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

The Tournament Facilitator, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, noted that the competition would be an avenue to be re-united with his friends and colleagues.

“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 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 a great decider; most of important competitions, especially the World Cup, have been decided through penalties.

“This competition will bring us back as family, the memories and all. Some of us have made immense sacrifices for the game during our time; we don’t have the luxuries that the footballers enjoy now.

“We travelled several kilometers by road, but now, a player can fly his own private jet to the match venue,” he said. (NAN)

•PHOTO: Former Captain of Super Eagles, Austin Jay Jay Okocha and the Chief Executive of Abaj Multilinks, Dapo Ajibade at the unveiling of African Heroes Penalty Cup held at Radisson hotel Ikeja

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