The Ibrahim Musa
Gusau-led NFF administration will add another milestone on Tuesday when the
groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Players’ Hostel and a number of
new training pitches holds in Abuja. The groundbreaking will be done by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas GCON.
Named the NFF-FIFA
Players’ Hostel, the 68-room facility is located at the heart of Package B of
the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, almost directly opposite the NFF
Secretariat. It is a two-wing edifice, with A and B sections, and has a total
of 62 single rooms, four suites and two executive suites.
Alongside the
hostel is the construction of two new training pitches (one synthetic and one
natural grass), re-construction of the existing synthetic pitch, sitting
terraces for spectators, two dressing rooms for players (each accommodating 27
players at a time) and two dressing rooms for officials. The spectators’
terraces will have 1,838 seats.
The construction,
which is projected to last 24 months, is funded by world football-governing
body, FIFA through its FIFA Forward 3.0 program.
The FIFA Forward
is the largest and biggest sport development program in the world, and was
created in 2016 when FIFA President Gianni Infantino was first elected to
office. The core idea is three-fold: increase the investment into football
worldwide; achieve more impact with specific and tailor-made projects and; make
sure to have more oversight to ensure that the investment in football
development is transparent, carefully-managed and effective.
NFF President,
Ibrahim Musa Gusau, said: “The NFF is excited about the Players’ Hostel and new
training pitches. It is a transformational project around our national teams
and we are grateful to FIFA for providing the funds for these amazing
facilities.
“Right from the
inception of the present NFF administration, we were very clear on what we
wanted to do with our FIFA Forward 3.0 funds. Building a players’ hostel and
having new training pitches will not only enhance team management, it will
substantially reduce expenditure in these areas and enable us to commit more
funds to grassroots development programs.”
FIFA’s Deputy
Chief Member Associations Officer and Regional Director (Africa), Gelson
Fernandes, said: “The main objective of the Forward Programme is to ensure
top-quality infrastructure that drives football development worldwide. The
NFF’s transformation of its Technical Centre is a perfect example – upgrading
training pitches, building modern accommodation and creating a true home for
the national teams; this project is a brilliant one for Nigeria football.
“We’re proud to
support and to work alongside the NFF, not only with funding but also by
sharing expertise to make this project a reality. Nigeria lives and breathes
football, and FIFA is committed to helping the game grow as much as we can.”
Among the special
guests invited to Tuesday’s ceremony are the Chief of Defence Staff, General
Christopher Musa; the Ambassadors of the UAE and the Kingdom of Morocco; former
deputy governor of Edo State, Comrade Phillip Shaibu; Inspector General of Police,
Dr Kayode Egbetokun; Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi;
Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap and; Chairman of the
National Sports Commission, Alhaji Shehu Dikko.
Also invited are
the Chairmen of sports committees in the Senate and House of Representatives;
NOC President, Engineer Habu Gumel; former sports ministers Sunday Dare and
John Enoh; Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola
Olopade; former NFF President Sani Lulu Abdullahi; former NFF scribes
Ambassador Fanny Amun and Barr. Musa Amadu and; 10 legends of Nigeria football,
viz former senior team captains Olusegun Odegbami, Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha,
Daniel Amokachi, Nwankwo Kanu, Mutiu Adepoju, Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba,
Ahmed Musa, Precious Dede and Stella Mbachu.
PHOTO 1:
Artist’s impression of the Players’ Hostel
PHOTO 2:
Artist’s impression of the new pitches
PHOTO 3:
Artist’s impression of the spectators’ terrace
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