A five-man team from world football governing body, FIFA will arrive on Monday for a four-day inspection of facilities and equipment Nigeria has put forward to host next year’s U20 Women’s World, for which Lagos, Benin City, Asaba and Uyo are proposed venues for the 16-nation event.
Megasportsarena.com can report that a statement by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) disclosed that the delegation of Christopher Exley, Sara Jane Booth, Kliment Taseski, Rhiannon Ceirwen Martin and Heyral Kaj Jurgen will arrive at Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday evening.
They will be received be received by NFF president, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, along with the first vice-president, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, general-secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, chairman of Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), Aisha Falode and top officials of Lagos State Sports Commission, led by the executive chairman, Dr. Kweku Tandoh.
The FIFA team will begin work in Lagos on Tuesday, with visits to Onikan Stadium, St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Teslim Balogun Stadium, National Stadium Legacy Pitch, Eagle Club, Campos Square and University of Lagos Sports Centre, before a courtesy call on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at Government House, Alausa.
Joining Pinnick, Sanusi and Falode, the bid coordinator, Alhaji Mainasara, Commissioner of Police Garba Baba and Dr. Paul Onyeudo will fly with the visiting team to Benin City same day to inspect facilities at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Western Boys College, University of Benin Sports Centre, Edo Specialist Hospital and University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
On Wednesday, the contingent will check out the facilities at Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba as well as proposed training sites at Asaba Squash Courts and St. Patrick’s College along with referral medical centres at St. Luke’s Hospital and Asaba General Hospital before moving same day to Uyo, for inspection of Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Ikot Ekpene Stadium, Ibom Specialist Hospital and University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
The inspectors will fly to Abuja on Thursday for a meeting with Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports permanent secretary, Olusade Adesola and a courtesy call on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa.
It would be a historic occasion for the hosting rights coming to Nigeria, which is one of only four countries to have participated in every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s Cup since the competition was launched in 2002 in Canada as an U19 Championship.
The Nigerian team, Falocnets were also there at the second edition, when the competition was upgraded to an under-20 championship in 2008, with USA, Germany and Brazil being the other three nations that have been ever present in the event’s eleven year history.
The Falconets reached the final in 2010 and 2014, losing to Germany on both occasions, and were semi finalists in Japan in 2012, such that will now hope that Nigeria gets hosting rights for next year’s edtiion and accord the team a stronger chance of winning the title for the first time.
