Mogadishu (RBC) Somalia’s minister for public service development Drs Maryan Qasim has lauded for the relocation of FIFA events to the capital Mogadishu pledging that Somali government will give more priority to the promotion of football which she described as the “most shining” sporting federation in the country.
She told this speech during a meeting with FIFA instructor Ulric Mathiot at the civil service development Ministry on Wednesday where she received FIFA fair play award from the expert on the behalf of the world’s top football governing body FIFA.
During his speech the FIFA expert thanked Somali government for creating a secure environment to organize such course and praised Somali Football Federation for the huge job they are doing in such country.
The main objective of the instructor’s visit to the ministry was to brief the Somali government on the importance of the grassroots course for the development of football in a country whose institutions were completely destroyed by civil wars and anarchy.
“In the grassroots course we target children from 6 to 12 years of age and that is intended to build football from the bottom—Somali Football Federation has been doing more than its capacity and together with the continuation of Grassroots activities I am sure that football in Somalia will top high” the visiting FIFA expert told the minister Drs. Maryan Qasim whose civil service development ministry runs sport, health and education.
For her part the minister lauded FIFA for restarting its activities inside Somalia praising the expert for becoming the first FIFA man to visit the war-devastated country since 1986.
“Mr. Instructor here in front of you I would like to praise Somali Football Federation officials for devoting their lives to the development of football in Somalia where you know life was even difficult” the minister noted during the meeting with FIFA instructor Ulric Mathiot on Wednesday.
“The FIFA grassroots course here in Mogadishu is a very important initiative for both the promotion of football and protecting children from using drugs or falling into other kinds of crimes” the Somali civil service development minister Drs Maryan Qasim indicated.
“As the government of Somalia we promise to help Somali Football Federation in terms of its development activities as much as we can and we demand FIFA to give a particular consideration to Somalia” she mentioned adding that Somali government has good cooperative ties with the country’s football federation which she said was the sole sporting federation whose activities reached through the whole country for the past 23 years of lack of a functioning central government in Somalia.
RBC Radio
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