Nigeria ready for U-17 World Cup

  1. Posted on Thursday 23 July 2009 - 10:43
    Murtala
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    Murtala Kamara Mohammed, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    The Nigeria minister of Sports and Chairman for that country's National Sports Commission (NSC) Sani Ndanusa has said that his country is fully ready to host the FIFA U-17 World cup beginning October 24th to November 15th. Ndanusa express optimism even before the arrival of the inspection team from the FIFA.
    Nigeria 2009
    The West African nation has come under sharp criticism in the past by sports pundits that they are not taking the issue of hosting the remarkable FIFA U-17 World cup events in that country seriously.

    Jack Warner, Vice President for the world football governing body FIFA said at one point that “apart from Abuja and Lagos, the rest are in between 60 and 70 percent state of readiness. I must say that Nigeria is not ready to host. That is our candid view on your facilities,’ he said in his reaction to the failed May deadline by that country earlier.

    Furthermore, Warner reminded Africa’s most populace nation that “Everyone in the past had met the one-year deadline. South Africa met it for the 2010 World Cup Finals; Egypt has also fulfilled that condition for the World Youth Championship; the Under-20 World Cup billed for later this year.

    “It is shocking for us to learn that work started not early enough on the facilities, in some venues just days before our coming here for the final inspection. They gave us flimsy excuses on why they were not ready. This is an indictment of Nigeria’s ability.”

    Ndanusa expresses optimism that by the time Warner arrives in Nigeria for another inspection of the facilities next week, it would sing a different tune from previous time

    “We are ready to receive the FIFA inspection team. I have visited all the stadia, and I can tell you that all the demands by FIFA have been met. The few areas that need attention, I have asked the state governments affected to improve. Before the inspection begins, everything stipulated by FIFA would be in place. So, we are waiting for the inspection visit" according to the Daily Independent newspaper.

    Similarly, the Nigerian Vice President also assured earlier that his country will host a ‘’hitch free’ FIFA U-17 world cup tournament.

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