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Vice President Of Suriname Played 54 Minutes For The Football Team He Owns At 60-Years-Old

Vice President Of Suriname Played 54 Minutes For The Football Team He Owns At 60-Years-Old

Ronnie Brunswijk played nearly an hour for Inter Moengotapoe in North America's version of the Europa League, in a 6-0 loss to Olimpia.

You just can't keep politics out of sport, literally when the vice president of a country decides to play for nearly an hour for the football team he owns!

Certain fans believe their owners get involved in the running of the club too much and others think too little, and fans of Suriname side Inter Moengotapoe will definitely be think it's the former.

Inter, based in Moengo, are owned by the Suriname Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, who has been in his current political position since 2020.

On Tuesday, the 60-year-old was at Inter's match in the CONCACAF League, North America and the Caribbean's version of the Europa League, against Honduras side Olimpia, but not just to see how the team he owns got on.

Instead Brunswijk was there to play and captain the side, for 54 minutes, during the 6-0 drubbing by their visitors. According to Wikipedia, perhaps not the best source of this occasion, he completed 14 of his 17 attempted passes.

An owner of a club playing, never mind the country's vice president, might sound like a crazy story but when it comes to Brunswijk's life it actually could be pretty par for the course.

A New York Times profile described him as "an elite paratrooper, a soccer player, a wanted bank robber, a guerrilla leader, a gold baron and a father to at least 50 children during his lifetime."

Before becoming the country's V.P, the 60-year-old had also helped introduce the country to democracy and had been chased by president Chan Santokhi in the 80s, when Santokhi was a police officer, before joining forces.

Brunswijk is also known for being a generous man, handing out money to the poor, and he continued that reputation in the changing room after the game.

There's still a second leg to be played a week on Wednesday, but it's unlikely that the 60-year-old will play, perhaps he'll let son Damian be captain next time, with the striker also starting the first leg.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter

Topics: Football