“I’d rather watch English Premier League than local football,”- Nigerian legend Okocha confesses

NAIROBI, Kenya, September 1 – Nigerian football legend Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha admits he would rather watch an English Premier League match than a local league tie in his native country due to the attractiveness and packaging of the former.

The former Bolton and Paris St Germain (PSG) player said African countries could learn a lot from their first world counterparts on how to run a professional league that attracts corporate partners in droves.

“I don’t think I’d watch the Nigerian league if there is a Premier League match on the television, that is if I am being honest…because the Premier League is more attractive. We need to go back to the drawing board and give ourselves time and put something together that will make our leagues attractive,” Okocha said.

The 1994 Africa Cup of Nations champion pointed to the likes of South Africa’s PSL as well as North African leagues as evidence that African countries can develop professional and attractive leagues.

“Our people will fall in love with something that is attractive and well-packaged. I can take the example of South Africa…the locals there attend matches in the stadium because the league is attractive. There are also the North African countries where the locals go out and watch the matches,” the former Eintracht Frankfurt man said.

Okocha added: “I think sometimes we need to copy the leagues abroad. Forget our ego and humble ourselves and start from scratch again. We need a long-term plan to organize our leagues and make them attractive…it is not rocket science.”

Cry for Afrika

He lamented Mama Afrika’s laissez faire approach to investment in sports, picking an example for his playing days as a dangerman in the middle of the park for Super Eagles.

“A sponsor would not want to be associated with failure so you need to organize yourself, present your ideas and make your case. Maybe that is where we are getting it wrong in Africa because I remember when we were in the national team, they would send you out there to go and bring us the cup without even proper preparations. After a few years, I asked whether we should go and steal the cup,” Okocha, who made his national team debut in 1994 against Ivory Coast, said.

The Nigerian was speaking on Friday morning during the official launch of the EPL Trophy Tour at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi.

Okocha, who wound up his career at Hull City in 2007/08, reflected with nostalgia on his stint in England, noting that he made some great friends during his time there.

“I have a great relationship with Sam Alladyrce (former Bolton manager). We always keep in touch. It is a pity that Bolton failed to build on the foundation we laid and are now in League One. Their fans deserve more,” he said.

Who’s your GOAT?

Having come, seen and conquered all as far as football is concerned, it was inevitable that Okocha would be dragged into the GOAT debate featuring Portuguese dangerman Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentinian World Cup winner Lionel Messi.

Quite a ‘messy’ question but the midfield trickster was emphatic about his choice.

“I think both of them rightly deserve to be GOATs (greatest of all times) but I prefer Messi. As for me…I mean…Cristiano Ronaldo is typical of what you can achieve with hard work  but for Messi everything comes naturally…and he works hard as well,” he said.

Turning his attentions to Kenya, the Nigerian apologised for the numerous times Super Eagles have thwacked the national team, Harambee Stars, in their previous encounters.

“I think I want to maintain the (good) relationship with Kenya. I remember it was the Olympics qualifiers and we won 4-0. However, it is not too bad because we won the Olympics so Kenya lost to the eventual champions,” he said.

That 2-1 win over the fancied Argentinians in the finals of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta stands out as his favourite moment of pure bliss in his long-spanning career.

On the flipside, their loss to Cameroon in the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil – 4-3 on post-match penalties – is a moment the 50-year-old would like to forget in a huff.

After Friday’s launch, the prestigious trophy is set to be displayed at the Carnivore Grounds on Saturday afternoon where football fans will be granted an opportunity to take photos as they interact with Okocha and watch an EPL match.

Speaking at today’s launch, Rubis Energy Kenya CEO Jean-Christian Bergeron said the trophy tour is part of the company’s bigger objective of supporting sports development in the country.

“As I said, we have been supporting Kibera Black Stars…even though they are not in the Kenya Premier League but I believe they will go very far. As a company, we are very keen on fulfilling our social responsibility and one of the ways we do that is via sports,” Bergeron said.