Ikhana advocates 'Elderly Scheme' for ex-internationals 

Ikhana advocates 'Elderly Scheme' for ex-internationals 

Former Green Eagles defender and gold medalist at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, Kadiri Ikhana has pleaded with both the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to institute a welfare plan for elderly former Nigerian players.

Ikhana, who led the Super Falcons to fourth place in the Africa Women's Championship (now WAFCON) in 2012 in Equatorial Guinea, prompting his resignation shortly after the tournament, told www.sportsunlimited.ng that countless old internationals are finding it difficult financially, not because they've been abandoned, but because of the biting standard of living in the country.

The former CAF Coach of the Year said the government, through the NSC and the NFF should develop a scheme to assist former Nigerian internationals above 70 years old by giving them monthly stipends inform of allowances to cushion the effect of the economy and to augmented what they get from their children.

"Look at me, like so many of our colleagues, we serve the country and won laurels. I'm not saying we didn't get our due benefits but at our old age, we should depend on a system that depended on us in our youth.

"My appeal is to the NSC chiefs, Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade and the NFF to take our case to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, because I know he likes and listens to them to help us. Just two days ago, Dominic Nwobodo died and nobody remembers his sacrifice to the country," he pleaded.

Coach Ikhana not only played for the Green Eagles (now Super Eagles), he served in the military and has coached many clubs in the country, becoming the first coach to win the CAF Champions League with Enyimba of Aba and in the process was named the best coach in Africa.

He currently runs an academy, the Kadiri Ikhana Football Academy in Auchi, Edo State.