Club loses 6-0 after 60-year-old owner elects himself as captain to feature in league game

Ronnie Brunswijk, who is the vice President of Suriname, played 54 minutes before being substituted in the second half.

The 60-year-old’s rather surprising inclusion did very little to help his team as they fell to a heavy 6-0 defeat at the hands of their opponents.

He, however, made history by becoming the oldest man to feature in an international football competition.

Brunswijk captained the team on the night and wore the no.61 jersey as a tribute to the year he was born.

He also played alongside his son Damian Brunswijk – a decision that was widely criticised by the media.

Meanwhile, Olimpia assistant coach Gustavo Reggi said his side didn’t know the Suriname vice president would be playing in the game.

"We found out half an hour earlier when they gave us the squad [that Brunswijk was playing]," he said, as quoted by ESPN.

"This is a matter for our rivals. We just had to focus on ourselves. We represent a club, and we have to do it in the best possible way whether national or internationally.

“That is what we came here to do. We are happy with the win and now we will wait for the return leg."

Brunswijk is a very popular figure in Suriname’s political space and rose to become the country’s vice president in July 2020.

He is currently the owner and president of Inter Moengotapoe, with the club’s stadium – the Ronnie Brunswijkstadion – named after him.