“The World Veterans Championship will not go unnoticed by fans”

In the summer of 2024, the World Veterans Football Championship is due to take place in England. The organizers announce the appearance of superstars like Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos on the field. Eight teams will take part in the competition, including Brazil and Argentina. For details, see Kommersant FM sports commentator Vladimir Osipov.

Gathering stars from different years on one team was previously only possible in a video game, but now such a story has become a reality. The Association of Former Football Players (yes, there is such a thing in the modern world) decided that not only FIFA and UEFA can earn money, and presented the fans with a project of a World Cup for players over 35 years of age. The name of the tournament is EPG Cup. If you decipher the English abbreviation, then this is the “Elite Players Group Cup”.

At the same time, the organizers are not lying, because only football players who have volunteered for their country’s national team or have played at least 100 matches in the top division will take to the field. In particular, stars are announced whose names make your heart skip a beat. The provisional squads include Michael Owen, Ronaldinho, Fabio Cannavaro, Frank Lampard, Roberto Carlos, Thierry Henry, Carles Puyol.

Moreover, many honored athletes can be seen in various competitions, where they show a great game, ex-football player Dmitry Bulykin, who himself takes part in many veterans’ tournaments, told Kommersant FM: “I just played in China against the legends of Barcelona.” A lot of people came to watch the match. Puyol ran around as if he was still playing. I think he would be an even stronger defender now.

They keep themselves in shape, they are constantly on the field, they have constant tours, they look completely different.”

Eight teams are to take part in the first official Veterans World Championship: England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Veteran tournaments at the club level are constantly held in all countries, including Russia, but playing at the national team level is more difficult, because not all countries can recruit the required number of age stars.

But the World Cup will definitely not go unnoticed by the fans, Dmitry Bulykin is sure: “If the national team plays, then it’s generally super. Of course, we must strive for this. I think the show, which takes place with the participation of legends, will attract attention and gather fans in the stands if everything is well organized.”

At the same time, even if older football stars do not show some sparkling performance, this is unlikely to disappoint the fans. The Veteran World Championship will touch completely different strings in the souls of fans, commentator Alexander Aksenov is sure: “Even for us, people who saw those matches and remember well, it acquires some slightly mythical sensations. It seems that it was so long ago and completely different, not like it is now. Anyone would want to see this.

Moreover, these are memories not only of football, but also of your youth and youth.”

But as for television, showing such matches is unlikely to cause a stir among fans, the expert believes: “It seems to me that this is more of a match to be watched live, rather than broadcast. Therefore, there are doubts about the television ratings. At the same time, it is quite possible to gather 20 thousand spectators in the stands.”

In order to gather fans in the stands, the organizers chose England to host the tournament and a strategically correct time period – right before the start of Euro 2024. The entire draw will take place in just one week, not to mention the shortened format of the games. Veterans will play two halves of 35 minutes each, so football fans simply won’t have time to get bored.

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