nation0428

THE NATION TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015
NATION SPORT
INTERVIEW... INTERVIEW... INTERVIEW... INTERVIEW...
Okocha: I enjoyed
every single moment
61
A legend of Nigerian football, former Paris Saint-Germain playmaker
Augustine “Jay-Jay” Okocha was back in France last week for the
12th Match Against Poverty. Answering the call of Zinedine Zidane
and Ronaldo, the men behind this unique initiative, the 41-year-old
lit up the star-studded event and showed he had lost none of his
magical skills.
Sitting down for an interview with FIFA.com, the inimitable Jay Jay
also showed that his sense of humour remains very much intact.
Displaying a love of life and for the game, the Nigerian great, who
appeared in three FIFA World Cup competitions and won the CAF
African Cup of Nations in 1994 and Olympic gold two years later in
Atlanta, remains as much of an entertainer as he always was.
WHAT does it mean
to you to take part in
a charity match like
this?
Jay Jay Okocha: This event
means a lot to me. It’s an opportunity
for us footballers,
who’ve enjoyed all the advantages
life has to offer, to
give something back to
people in need. It’s a great
and beautiful initiative.
How much pleasure do
you get from being able to
play again in front of a large
crowd?
A lot. It’s a special feeling
and it’s something you
miss. It’s wonderful to have
the chance to relive it all
again, to run and play, to
express yourself on the
pitch, and all without any
pressure on you either. I
was very excited about it.
What’s your happiest
memory of your career as a
player?
I’ve got quite a few and it’s
impossible for me to pick out
one in particular. Every second
I’ve spent on the pitch is a good
memory for me, every moment
when I’ve been able to
express myself with the ball. I
enjoyed every single moment
of my footballing career, for
every club I played with. I’ve
got nothing but good memories.
You played for Eintracht
Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, Paris
Saint-Germain, Bolton Wanderers
and Hull City during
your career. Is there one club
that’s especially close to your
heart?
Yes, there is one that is particularly
important to me…
just don’t expect me to tell you
who it is (laughs)! I don’t want
to disappoint the other clubs,
who also mean a lot to me. I’m
keeping my secret.
And do you have a favourite
goal out of all the ones you
scored?
Yes, the one I got for Frankfurt
against Karlsruhe in 1993
stands out a little for me. I was
very young and I hadn’t made
a name for myself yet. Klaus
Toppmoller was my coach at
the time and he started me on
the bench for that game, which
I wasn’t especially pleased
about. We were 2-1 up when
he finally decided to put me
on. We were under pressure
and my job was to keep the
ball, but we put a break together
and I suddenly found
myself in the opposition penalty
box with four or five defenders
facing me. I just
dribbled with the ball, going
one way and then the next before
putting the ball past the
keeper, who was none other
than Oliver Kahn.
That goal said a lot about
how skilful you were, but do
you feel you missed out on
achieving something big in
your career?
Yes, I feel like that about Nigeria,
especially the 1994
World Cup. I really think we
could have sprung a surprise,
but at the time we didn’t know
just how good we were. It was
our first world finals and we
settled for that. Looking back,
though, I’m convinced we had
the potential to shock the
whole world.
It’s [football] a religion in my
country. It unites the whole
country as one.
Former Nigeria star Jay Jay
Okocha
What does football mean in
Nigeria?
It’s a religion in my country.
It unites the whole country as
one. If the football goes well,
then everything goes well. It’s
more than a game, more than
a sport. It’s part of our culture.
What’s your view on the
state of the game in Nigeria?
You can’t be completely satisfied
with the situation at the
moment. We’re lacking a bit
of consistency, but there’s
plenty of work being done at
the top. We’ve been through
some tough times, but the
good thing is that we’re a big
country with a lot of talented
players. We just need to get
the right structures in place
so that the light can shine for
good.
And what about African
football? Do you think African
teams are closing the gap
on the big European and
South American sides?
I think so, but the problem
is that we still settle for very
little. We celebrate a World
Cup quarter-final place when
it’s not enough. You have to
go further. The gap has closed
a lot, though. African teams
are getting harder and harder
to beat, and that’s a fact.
Who’s the best African
player in the game right
now?
I’d say Yaya Toure. He’s the
most consistent performer.
And then there’s Jay-Jay of
course (laughs)!
Nigeria won the last FIFA
U-17 World Cup and their U-
20 side are the reigning African
champions in the age
group. Are we seeing the
emergence of another golden
generation?
I think so, but we have to
make sure that these youngsters
can kick on. If we’re going
to do that, we must give
them support and encouragement.
If we don’t give them
the right backing, then it’s just
going to be the same old story.
We have youth teams that
have shone in the past but
which haven’t been able to
push on at senior level. Let’s
try and protect this emerging
generation of players and help
them mature. I think it’s important
that we set up structures
that allow us to achieve
the kind of continuity we’ve
always needed.
Can you see a new Jay-Jay
Okocha coming along in that
new generation?
One thing’s for sure: there’s
an awful lot of talent among
those youngsters. No two
players are the same, though.
Every player has their own
attributes, characteristics and
flaws, and their own story too.
Are you thinking of going
into coaching one day?
No, not for the moment. I’m
more interested in the executive
positions. I prefer to be
the one who appoints them
and tells them what to do
(laughs)!
You see yourself as the presidential
type, then?
Why not? Yes. In fact, I’ve
just been named the chairman
of the Delta State Football
Association, which I’m delighted
about. Who knows
what the future has in store,
though?