111
By Oscar Okhifo
Former Super Eagles striker, Brown Ideye, has sparked controversy after declaring that retired footballers who go broke despite earning millions during their active years should be punished.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner took to his official X (formerly Twitter) page on Sunday, advising current players to take financial planning seriously from the very start of their careers.
According to Ideye, every footballer should treat their income as if it were a lifetime wage compressed into a few short years, stressing the importance of saving, investing wisely, and surrounding themselves with trustworthy advisers.
“They should be jailed for life if, after they retired from playing, they can’t feed themselves,” Ideye wrote while responding to a follower who suggested that players who thrived in Europe had no excuse to end up broke.
His comments come just days after ex-Inter Milan defender Taribo West slammed the Nigerian government and football authorities for abandoning late goalkeeper Peter Rufai’s family, accusing them of neglecting the nation’s football heroes.
While West placed the blame on systemic failure and poor welfare structures, Ideye’s stance places the responsibility squarely on players to secure their own futures.
However, critics argue that Ideye’s position does not factor in situations where life happens , such as unforeseen health challenges, economic downturns, or government policies that can wipe out investments and savings overnight.
They insist that even well-prepared individuals can find themselves struggling due to circumstances beyond their control.
This has fueled further debate over whether the plight of many ex-internationals is solely the result of poor financial decisions or the absence of reliable institutional support. What remains clear, however, is that saving and planning for the rainy day is vital, even as calls grow for stronger welfare structures to support Nigeria’s sporting heroes after retirement.