by Uzor Odigbo
Lagos — After the presentation and submission of empirical facts to the FIFA inspection team in Abuja on Monday, on the readiness of the Warri Sub-seat to host the U-17 World Cup, hopes are on the
high side among Deltans that the Warri sub-seat might be announced Thursday as one of the host cities for the Cadet tournament.
Speaking through his special assistant on media, Timi Ebikagboro, the Delta State sports commission's chairman, Pinnick Amaju, who presented the sub-seat report to FIFA, said the report was received with open heart. He said going by Jack Warner's response, Warri and indeed Deltans have every cause to be hopeful.
Ebikagboro stated that FIFA expressed regrets for not being physically present in Warri, but that the reports presented have shown that the sub-seat is ready for the tournament. According to Ebikagboro, FIFA said not visiting the Warri Sub-seat does not rule it out from the rest that had been inspected, adding that FIFA applies such rules most times to put those in charge on alert for the right thing to be done.
"We are very much hopeful, waiting for tomorrow (Thursday) definitely, Warri would be announced as one of the sub-seat that will host the tournament. It is a Niger Delta bid and as FIFA said after the presentation, Warri Sub-seat was listed as the fourth city among the nine proposed host cities, so we have every cause to be hopeful," he said.
It would be recalled that the FIFA inspection team, led by Warner, failed to inspect the Warri Sub-seat, alleging that the City was under-siege. The development soon sparked off reactions from Deltans, especially from the State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, who described the whole scenario as political.
This however prompted the FIFA delegation to invite officials of the sub-seat, comprising Pinnick Amaju, Solomon Ogba, and others to Abuja for the presentation of the sub-seat reports.
Yar'adua made the remark while inaugurating a 12-man task force on Nigeria's qualification for the 2010 tournament. He said that the tournament was one event that Nigeria could not afford to fail to qualify.
"It will be a tragedy for the millions of Nigerians for whom football has become a religion, and who had to endure the heartbreak of our failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany," Yar'adua said.
He also said that it would be a tragedy for the rest of the world "waiting to see a re-enactment of the magic that we so memorably displayed in U.S.A. '94 and in Atlanta '96 and the delectable combination of will, colour, artistry and brilliance that hallmarked Nigerian football".
"Based on our performance in the qualification rounds so far, many Nigerians are worried that the nightmare of 2006 might repeat itself," the president noted.
Football, according to him, is more than a national pastime as "it is one enduring unifying factor which sees tribe, tongue, faith, and political inclination dissipate into one glorious wellspring of unity and oneness".
"It is for these reasons and more that our administration has decided to make this critical intervention to ensure that our national team not only flies our beautiful flag in South Africa, but also does it in a way that pays fitting tribute to the Nigerian spirit," Yar'adua said.
He challenged members of the task force to do everything possible not only for Nigeria to qualify, but to emerge as the first African country to win the World Cup.
"The nation has all it takes to qualify and do well in South Africa," Yar'adua stressed.
"We have shown the world what we can do at age-grade level and our players ply their trade in some of the best clubs in the world. Now is the time to show that we can pull it together where it matters most," he added.
He maintained, however, that the task force was not intended to replace the existing Nigerian Football Federation structure, but rather to augment and complement its efforts.
Lagos — After the presentation and submission of empirical facts to the FIFA inspection team in Abuja on Monday, on the readiness of the Warri Sub-seat to host the U-17 World Cup, hopes are on the
high side among Deltans that the Warri sub-seat might be announced Thursday as one of the host cities for the Cadet tournament.
Speaking through his special assistant on media, Timi Ebikagboro, the Delta State sports commission's chairman, Pinnick Amaju, who presented the sub-seat report to FIFA, said the report was received with open heart. He said going by Jack Warner's response, Warri and indeed Deltans have every cause to be hopeful.
Ebikagboro stated that FIFA expressed regrets for not being physically present in Warri, but that the reports presented have shown that the sub-seat is ready for the tournament. According to Ebikagboro, FIFA said not visiting the Warri Sub-seat does not rule it out from the rest that had been inspected, adding that FIFA applies such rules most times to put those in charge on alert for the right thing to be done.
"We are very much hopeful, waiting for tomorrow (Thursday) definitely, Warri would be announced as one of the sub-seat that will host the tournament. It is a Niger Delta bid and as FIFA said after the presentation, Warri Sub-seat was listed as the fourth city among the nine proposed host cities, so we have every cause to be hopeful," he said.
It would be recalled that the FIFA inspection team, led by Warner, failed to inspect the Warri Sub-seat, alleging that the City was under-siege. The development soon sparked off reactions from Deltans, especially from the State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, who described the whole scenario as political.
This however prompted the FIFA delegation to invite officials of the sub-seat, comprising Pinnick Amaju, Solomon Ogba, and others to Abuja for the presentation of the sub-seat reports.
Source: Daily Independent
Also in the news
Africa: Why Country Must Be in South Africa 2010 - Yar'Adua
President Umaru Yar'Adua said yesterday in Abuja that it would be a tragedy if the nation's flag was not among 31 others that would fly at the World Cup in South Africa.Yar'adua made the remark while inaugurating a 12-man task force on Nigeria's qualification for the 2010 tournament. He said that the tournament was one event that Nigeria could not afford to fail to qualify.
"It will be a tragedy for the millions of Nigerians for whom football has become a religion, and who had to endure the heartbreak of our failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany," Yar'adua said.
He also said that it would be a tragedy for the rest of the world "waiting to see a re-enactment of the magic that we so memorably displayed in U.S.A. '94 and in Atlanta '96 and the delectable combination of will, colour, artistry and brilliance that hallmarked Nigerian football".
"Based on our performance in the qualification rounds so far, many Nigerians are worried that the nightmare of 2006 might repeat itself," the president noted.
Football, according to him, is more than a national pastime as "it is one enduring unifying factor which sees tribe, tongue, faith, and political inclination dissipate into one glorious wellspring of unity and oneness".
"It is for these reasons and more that our administration has decided to make this critical intervention to ensure that our national team not only flies our beautiful flag in South Africa, but also does it in a way that pays fitting tribute to the Nigerian spirit," Yar'adua said.
He challenged members of the task force to do everything possible not only for Nigeria to qualify, but to emerge as the first African country to win the World Cup.
"The nation has all it takes to qualify and do well in South Africa," Yar'adua stressed.
"We have shown the world what we can do at age-grade level and our players ply their trade in some of the best clubs in the world. Now is the time to show that we can pull it together where it matters most," he added.
He maintained, however, that the task force was not intended to replace the existing Nigerian Football Federation structure, but rather to augment and complement its efforts.
Source: Daily Trust
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