Mogadishu (RBC) FIFA expert Ulric Mathiot has on Friday ended his ten-day stay in Somalia where he successfully conducted the first ever grassroots course for Somalia which was part of president Blatter’s “touch the world” initiative. Somali Football federation officials lead by president Ali Said Guled Roble and secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab have seen off the instructor at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde international airport on Friday.
Meanwhile, on Thursday afternoon the Somali Football Federation (SFF) organized a very colourful farewell ceremony at the Lido Sea Food
restaurant in the Lido beach resort of Mogadishu where the SFF officials thanked the instructor for the huge efforts he did in a bid to educate Somali coaches at home.
Somali Football Federation secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab who first addressed at the farewell ceremony praised the instructor for helping to pave the way for the arrivals of FIFA people in Somalia for the first time since 1986.
“In one way this ceremony is a thanks giving for the expert and in the other way it is intended to Farwell Mr. Ulric Mathiot for his
successful conduction of the 3rd course for Somalia since 2009—the most tangible moment that we will never forget is that our brother
Ulric Mathiot showed the world that the capital Mogadishu is a safer zone and can host such international level course” SFF secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab emphasized during his speech on Thursday afternoon.
The FIFA expert Ulric Mathiot told the farewell ceremony that he was fully jubilant at how the course went in Somalia with the high profile
reception he experienced during his stay in the country plus the commitment of Somali Football Federation officials in terms of the promotion of football in the war-devastated country.
“To my surprise you are giving me an apology whilst I am sure that there was nothing wrong or no irregularities during the course, I hereby confess that the SFF did a very profile organization for the course—I would like reiterate what I have said here at the opening ceremony of the course and it is that I conducted courses in so many countries, but the commitment and the preparations made by Somalia was the topmost I have ever witnessed” the instructor told his farewell ceremony at the Lido Sea Food restaurant on Thursday afternoon.
“The weather in Somalia was so beautiful and I really liked it” Instructor Ulric Mathiot told the ceremony Thursday.
At the end of the farewell ceremony Somali Football Federation Mr Ali Said Guled Roble gave the expert the Somali National team (Ocean
Stars) jersey as present, while, coach Mohamed Abdulle Abokar presented the coach different materials of Somalia’s cultural heritage on the behalf of his colleagues at the course.
The hosting of FIFA course in the country was a very milestone for Somali Football Federation as the course is believed to have opened the door for the future FIFA events to be organised in Somalia whose FIFA events were held outside the country for more than two decades due to unrest and prolonged lawlessness in the horn of African country which experienced one of the world’s most notorious wars since 1991.
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