January 16 – The Somali Football Federation (SFF) has suspended the flagship Inter-state tournament following a series of shootings at the Mogadishu Stadium that left two dead and several injured.
The Somali federation has laid the blame for the shootings on the armed guards traveling with the minister for youth and sport Mohamed Barre Mohamud, and some government MPs.
The SFF on several occasions requested the minister to remove his armed men from the stadium, “so the fans can enjoy the games without fear”.
They did not leave and eventually opened fire on chanting fans, causing the deaths and injuries.
The Somali says the violence was a result of the minister “politicising” the tournament.
In a statement the SFF said: “Somali Football Federation is responsible for the safety of football players, match officials, fans and team officials. We are very sorry for the brutality and unjustifiable actions against our players and football fans who suffered from a number of violent attacks since the competition began and that is due to the event which has been politicized.”
The SFF said that the tournament, attended by tens of thousands of fans and taking place over a two week period, could still continue but “only if the ministry stops politicizing the sport and leaves the responsible body [the SFF] do its business freely and in accordance with FIFA, CAF and SFF statutes and regulations which all clearly indicate that sport has nothing to do with politics.”
“Football is all about peace, integration, friendship, development and love. The SFF cannot accept the sport to be politicized,” said the statement.
The annual inter-state tournament has been a beacon of unity and peace since the SFF returned the competition in 2017 to the Mogadishu Stadium which up to that point had been used as a military camp.
As such the tournament has become an important and high profile pan-Somalian example of how the nation and its competing factions can work together.
The SFF took the decision at a board meeting yesterday (pictured), saying: “It is now up to the Somali government to either respect the rules and regulations of the sport or the Inter-State football tournament, a competition that attracts the attention of tens of thousands of fans will never return.”
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