There are signs of a new cooperative era for Somali national Olympic committee and its member federations & the country’s ministry of sport of the transitional federal government of Somalia.

Somali Football Federation has on Friday organized a luncheon for Somali sports ministry, Somali National Olympic committee and its affiliated national federations at the Indian Ocean restaurant in the Lido beach resort of Mogadishu in a bid to open a new cooperative era for Somali sports ministry, the national Olympic committee and its member federations.

The luncheon started with words of sympathy and mourning for the loss of former Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed who died in the UAE over night on Friday.

Somali Football Federation secretary General Abdiqani Said Arab who first addressed at the luncheon ceremony said that the invitation had two meaningful matters for Somali Football federation; one was to present the successive hard tasks that Somali FA is doing in the country and the other was to help the creation of future cooperation between the ministry and the sorting organizations.

“It is a great honor for Somali Football Federation to invite the ministry of sport and the country’s sporting organizations here today in a bid to strengthen cooperation and we are very grateful to all of you for accepting our invitation” the SFF president Said Mahmoud Nur told the luncheon.

He said that the congregation was a signal for how Somali sports ministry, Somali NOC and its member federations are now committed to going forward to jointly work on the development of Somali sports.

The president of Somali National Olympic committee Aden Haji Yeberow praised Somali Football Federation for organizing such very precious luncheon which meant to strengthen cooperation between the NOC, its affiliated national sporting federations and the country’s ministry for youth and sports.

“For our part we are pledging to develop unity and cooperation with the ministry as we always did in the past, because unity is power and will help us go forward” said Somali National Olympic committee president Aden Haji Yeberow before handing over the microphone to the youth and sports minister Mohamed Mohyaddin Sheik Mursal.

The minister said he was very grateful to the Somali Football Federation for understanding the importance of unity and cooperation adding that his ministry will establish joint work with Somali NOC and its member federations.

“Somali government has no enough budget and it is still depend on international community assistance, but as the minister of sport, I promise here in front of you that the ministry of sport is ready to do all it can to help you continue your hard tasks” the minister told the luncheon.

On Monday the 19^th of March officials from Somali Sports ministry, Somali National Olympic committee and the presidents of National sports federations and associations held a lengthy meeting at the ministry compound where they finally agreed to forget the past and work together.

In November last year the minister said he dissolved the Somali Football federation which despite the announcement continued its operations in the war-devastated country and since then there was no contact between Somali NOC and the SFF on one side and the minister of sport on the other side.

Presidents of Somali NOC-Member federations who were present at the luncheon include: Somali football Federation President Said Mahmoud Nur, Somali handball Federation president Mohamed Hurshe Hassan, Somali boxing federation president Hajji Mohamed Ahmed Olow, Somali basketball Federation president Ibrahim Hussein Ali, Somali Volleyball Federation resident Mohamed Ali Addo and Somali Athletics Federation acting president Khadija Aden Dahir.

Somali NOC Media Department