By Paul Nicholson
August 18 – On an inspection visit of the construction of football facilities at the Somali University Stadium in Mogadishu, Somali minister for youth and sport, Mohamed Abdullahi Hassan (pictured centre), praised the growth of football and the importance of the development projects in the country.
Somalian football has been held back by decades of conflict and unrest in the country, but as relative stability has returned so has an expectation for the game.
Somali Football Federation President, Abdiqani Said Arab (pictured left), used the visit to ask the sports minister to push for the withdrawal of African Union troops from the country’s national stadium, Stadium Mogadishu. The minister promised his department will work harder to get the facility back into the hands of the people.
“In recent years, we have witnessed huge development projects implemented
by the Somali Football Federation, and I take this opportunity to thank SFF for knowing their responsibilities and as well as FIFA for its continued assistance to the country,” the minister said.
“I believe that Somali Football Federation has played a big role in football promotion in the country. The SFF has done its utmost to make sure that Somalia enjoys international standard facilities.
“Football is life; I am saying this, because it brings together some key things which are basic for the human life such as: generating income, public integration, development and health,” he said.
Somalia’s football president Abdiqani Said Arab was accompanied by his deputy Ali Abdi Mohamed and secretary general, Hassan Mohamed Mohamud. The visit was arranged to update the sports minister on ongoing development projects.
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