In his
first press conference after his recent election as the president of Somali
Football Federation. Mr. Ali Abdi Mohamed, said that every Somali child has the
right to enjoy the beautiful game, adding that the federation he leads will
give a particular consideration to take the game to every tiny village in the
country to help Somali children realize their dreams of enjoying football in
their own villages.
GRATEFULLNESS TO FIFA AND CAF.
The president expressed his great appreciation to the world football’s governing body [FIFA] and the confederation of African football [CAF] for spending much time, energy and money to find a lasting solution Somali Football Federation which dived into a state of confusion and uncertainty for the last two years.
"I would like to send a big thank you to FIFA and CAF for the fully-appreciated role they have played to ensure that Somali football enjoys in stability. I also take this opportunity to thank them for their generosity towards Somalia as they are our key financers and without them we wouldn’t have been able to play the game in Somalia” president Ali Abdi Mohamed, noted.
THE ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
Somali Football Federation president, Ali Abdi Mohamed, has also thanked the office of the country’s Prime Minister, His Excellency Hamza Abdi Barre, and the 3-member ministerial committee appointed by the Prime Minister for taking very responsible actions to help end the confusion that existed in the Somali Football Federation for the last two years.
"I would like to say thank you Mr. Prime minister and thank you to the 3-member ministerial committee and as well as the minister for youth and sport for the very remarkable task they have done” the president explained adding that he is grateful to all those who got involved in finding a lasting solution for the matter.
THE ELECTION COMMITTEE AND THE CONGRESS MEMBERS
The election committee of the Somali Football had played an integral part in the election process since the committee commenced its work after its formation on 20thof October last year and the president expressed his gratitude to the committee. "Since October last year, the election committee had worked round the clock, so I am saying thank you to the committee members” the president noted in his press conference.
"Also I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire members of Somali Football Federation congress. I acknowledge my appreciation and respect for those who voted for me and as well as those who didn’t vote for me – they all share equal values and I am sending my heartfelt greetings to all of them” Somali Football Federation president, Ali Abdi Mohamed, said in his press conference. "We are moving hand in hand towards the betterment and development of football in our beautiful country” the president added.
FRIENDLY BUSSINESS COMPANIES.
Sponsorships are vital for the development of football and it is absolutely necessary for the Somali Football Federation to promote cooperative relationships with companies in the country. The president spoke about the friendly ties his federation developed with local companies particularly Premier Bank, IBS Bank and Hormuud telecom, the country’s main network provider and as well as the office of the mayor of the capital Mogadishu, Sheik Yusuf Hussein Jimale.
"Sponsorships are indispensable for the job we are doing and football can’t do without sponsors and partners, so I would like to urge other companies in Somalia to join hands with us. It is give and take – they finance the game and in return football promotes their businesses, so we need one another” Somali Football Federation president said in his press conference.
UNITY, PEACE, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP.
The president spoke about the importance of football in terms of peace building, love, friendship and unity saying that one of his key priorities is to unify the football family through the game they love much.
"If you hear the word [football] what comes to your mind is love, friendship and peace and as the president of Somali Football Federation, I promise that we will use football as a tool to pacify the whole nation and create love and trust amongst our people” president Ali Abdi Mohamed, said.
The president added that very soon he will present his development plans for the years to come and the Somali Football Federation will publish a report of what has been achieved once in every three months.
CREATION OF NEW COMPETIOTIONS.
The president said that the federation he leads is aiming to increase the number of football competitions organized in the country in a bid to create more opportunities for the youth in the country.
"We are planning to create more new competitions and the first one will be a league in which the winners of regional leagues will compete and I am happy to announce that Baidoa, the capital of the South West State will host the first edition of the new tournament” the president noted.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS.
The president said that this year Somalia will participate in a number of international, continental, regional and friendly competitions. "It is our duty to get Somalia active in the international calendar and the first assignment we have is the CAF U-17 tournament to be held in Algeria from 29th of next month. Somalia will play the opener match against Hosts Algeria and more other competitions will then follow” the president said adding that the international engagements Somalia is getting ready for include: The Olympic qualifier, the Arab Cup, the CECAFA senior challenge cup, the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, the FIFA world Cup qualifier and many more.
FORMATION OF KEY BODIES
Somali Football Federation didn’t have legal bodies in place and that was one of the reasons that triggered the confusion and the uncertainty the federation the experienced in the last two years, so the president pledged that the legal bodies which are vital for the smooth-going of the federation’s activities will soon be formed.
"The disciplinary, the ethics and the independent audit committees are necessarily important and we will make sure they are in place and actively working very soon. The main cause for the confusion we have experienced was the lack of these committees, so the process of their formation must start now” the president noted.
Somali Football Federation Media Department
Email:Media@somsoccer.so