Somali Football Federation Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab said Thursday that the SFF was fully grateful to FIFA and its development department for giving the his federation a chance to hold its FIFA level courses in the country for the first time in nearly three decades.
This comes as the war-ridden country is currently under preparations for hosting the first FIFA course to be organized in the country since 1986. The Grassroots FIFA MA coaching course which is the first of its kind held for Somalia will kick off in the capital Mogadishu on August 15 after the world’s football governing body FIFA has accepted Somali Football Federation demands to hold its FIFA level courses at home, SFF press statement announced here on Thursday.
Somali Football Federation Secretary General Abdi Qqani Said Arab said in his statement that the organization of such course will be a good beginning for the SFF to host future FIFA events at home.
“To organize the course in Mogadishu has a very huge importance for us, because it will pave the way for Somalia have the rights that other countries get for holding FIFA events at their homes---it gives us great hopes and it is thrill for both the SFF authorities and the entire Somali Football Family members” Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab said in his statement adding that Somali government was very grateful to FIFA for accepting to relocate Somali courses to the country as the government also praised the huge efforts by the SFF to have its FIFA courses organized at home.
The FIFA MA course for Somalia is slated in Mogadishu for 15-19 August 2013. FIFA instructor Mr. Ulric Mathiot (Seychelles) will conduct the course. This will be the 3rd course that Mr. Ulric conducts for Somalia since 2009. The other courses were organized in Djibouti in 2009 and 2011. “Somalia loves Mr. Ulric Mathiot and we hope he will teach at more other courses for us in the future” the press statement carried.
The equipment for the course including the teaching materials and Adidas materials had already arrived in Mogadishu.
Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab praised the government, football federation officials and the people of Djibouti for allowing Somali FA host its courses and home games in Djibouti without preconditions. “Not only for the past two decades but Djibouti was always the 2nd Mogadishu and it will always remain so” Somali Football Federation Secretary General Mr. Abdi Qani Said Arab noted in his press statement Thursday.
“Holding our courses at home will save large sums of money for us which we can use for other development projects, because we had spent at least USD 40,000 on each FIFA MA course we organized in Djibouti that is to say we spent a total of USD 120,000 on three MA courses---imagine how much money we can save when we hold our courses at home” indicated Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab adding that such money was coming from SFF/FAP annual budgets.
“I hereby want to announce that FIFA has given Somalia three development courses this year and all those courses will take place in the capital Mogadishu, this will really help the promotion of football in our country and as SFF officials we promise that we will play our role in this matter with the help of our government” the statement said.
“SFF officials are more confident in the recent speech by our president Professor Hassan Sheik Mahmoud who announced that the Federal government will help all those who are engaged in the development of the country and in particularly the football which the president of the nation believes as ‘the sole element’ which can bring the people together and help develop the youths” said the secretary General who has taken Somali president’s recent speech as an example.
President Hassan Sheik Mahmoud praised world Football Federation (FIFA) for its continued assistance to help the promotion of football while the country experienced under hard circumstances. “This beautiful artificial Turf at stadium Banadir and the under way construction are enough example for FIFA’s assistance to Somalia and we expect FIFA to complete the rest of the project” president of the Nation Professor Hassan Sheik Mahmoud emphasised while urging Somali Football Federation to redouble its efforts of football development in the country.
However, it was a tangible move forward for Somali Football Federation to have three FIFA level courses to be hosted in the country before the end of the year. Those are FIFA MA grassroots course slated for (Mogadishu, 15 -19 August 2013, FIFA MA medical course (Mogadishu, 1-5 September 2013) and FIFA MA beach soccer course (Mogadishu, 12-16 September 2013).
It will be the first time in history that Somalia gets three FIFA level courses within two months and that is because of the training courses being held in the country.
By Shafi’i Mohyaddin Abokar
Email:shaficiislow@yahoo.com
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First FIFA level course due in Somalia decades later.
Somali Football Federation Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab said Thursday that the SFF was fully grateful to FIFA and its development department for giving the his federation a chance to hold its FIFA level courses in the country for the first