Home Sports Ahmad Backs Somalia’s AFCON Bid

Ahmad Backs Somalia’s AFCON Bid

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...Ahmad Ahmad of CAF...
...Ahmad Ahmad of CAF...

Somalia can now host international games again for the first time in nearly 30 years after the new head of African soccer, Ahmad Ahmad, said on Tuesday he’s open to the idea.

Confederation of African Football president Ahmad invited Somalia to start by organizing friendly games against neighbor Djibouti in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Mogadishu last hosted a senior international in 1988.

Somalia has been wracked by violence and chaos since the early 1990s, first because of a civil war and now deadly attacks by homegrown Islamist extremist group al-Shabab.

But the situation has improved.

Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed used Ahmad’s visit to request his country be allowed to host international soccer again.

Ahmad, who beat longtime African soccer boss Issa Hayatou in an election last month, made a two-day visit to Somalia on Monday and Tuesday, his first official trip as CAF president.

“Holding friendly matches in Mogadishu will help a lot to encourage sports and help Somalia regain its sports glory and I have asked Djibouti and Somalia to start playing the first friendly matches,” Ahmad said.

Ahmad also promised to lobby Somali officials so that Mogadishu’s biggest stadium can be used for soccer again. The 33,000-seat stadium currently acts as a base for African Union troops, who are in the country to help fight al-Shabab.

Sports authorities in Somalia have tried a number of times to get the stadium back.

Packaged by Lanre Olabisi

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