MOGADISHU — The Somali Football federation officials asked the African Union peacekeepers in Somalia (AMISOM) to vacate the country’s largest football facility Stadium Mogadishu during an official visit to the site on Monday.
Somali Football Federation president Ali Said Guled Rooble and Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab held a lengthy meeting with the commander of AU peacekeepers stationed at Stadium Mogadishu Captain Angua and other military officials during which they discussed on the possibility of AU troops to withdraw from the facility.
“Today we are at stadium Mogadishu on an official visit which has two main objectives, one was to assess and know the real situation of the stadium and the other was to ask the African Union peacekeepers to vacate from the stadium so that we can host the next edition of regional football tournament for peace and development here by December this year” Somali Football Federation Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab told the media during the visit.
“In December 2010 we held the first edition of regional football tournament in more than 20 years and that tournament had yielded positive results in terms of disarming child soldiers, creating friendship among people and spreading football throughout the country” the secretary General said adding that the tournament also helped people who lived in regions controlled by hostile warlords or opposing Islamist groups get a chance to cross from region to region.
The Somali Football Federation officials demanded the AMISOM officials in the meeting to vacate the facility and help the SFF accomplish its duties at the stadium in a bid to help the football-crazy Somali people get a chance to come and watch matches there after many years of absence.
Secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab told the media that at the end of the lengthy meeting Captain Angua who commands the AU troops at Stadium Mogadishu told them they can pay visit to the facility any time they need, but told they cannot hold any football competitions there.
“This is time to get the Somali soccer facilities back to the SFF hands, because our football is now recovering from years of conflicts and all soccer facilities must get back to our hands” SFF secretary General Abdi Qani Said Arab told the media
“We are really very happy with your arrival here at Stadium Mogadishu, but what I can tell you is that the stadium cannot host any competitions at the present moment because it is currently a military ground and our withdrawal from here depends on the Somali government and the top AMISOM commander’s acceptance—I cannot say about any withdrawals now” Captain Angua told the visiting Somali Football Federation officials.
The president of Somali Football Federation Ali Said Guled Roble who talked to the media during the visit thanked the AU troops for the high level reception. The president said that his federation intends to host the country’s regional football tourney for peace and development by December this year.
Stadium Mogadishu was built for Somalia by Chinese government in 1978 and one time it was the largest and the most beautiful facility in Africa and the Arab world. It hosted many international competitions including All Arab games, All African games, the CECAFA tournament and many others.
For the past 22 years of lack of a functioning government in Somalia, stadium Mogadishu has experienced the most difficult times yet and it several times changed into military compound for foreign troops in Somalia.
In 1993 the facility was occupied by the US peacekeepers who operated in Somalia early 1990s.
In January 2007 Stadium Mogadishu fell into the hands of Ethiopian forces who were based there until they withdrew from Somalia early 2009. It then fell into the hands of notorious Al-shabaab fighters who used it as a training base before they were forced out of capital by Somali government forces and AU troops in August 2011. Since last year stadium Mogadishu has been house to thousands of African Union peacekeepers helping the fragile Somali government.
Middle East Online
we will build it insha allah
i use to swim the swim pool behind the stadium anyone remembers that pool? and then pay some shillings to drive bicycle round the corner? next to the stadium?
of course ,but there is no stadium in boosaaso so stop lying
rental bicycles i mean
It appears Mogadishu Stadium went through a lot of hands..I'm surprised it's still structurally sound.
Reno and thorough inspection should be the first step before it considered to host a tourney..
we know The motive behind when mr rooble and arab ask A.U forces to vacate The stadium.They want to ask fifa or china re-build The stadium so They can get some of The money in Their pocket.
Brother your mind is just as worse or maybe even worse'r than the "ethiopian stooge SNM" this article is about football to me your no different from whats his name buuixiye because if something doesn't benefit your tribe then its the middle finger up to everyone else. Football is a beautiful game where people that hate each other can come round to interact with one or another and then finding out that all that hate was unnecessary.
MJ-Worrier it is shameful for you to pretend to be Hawiye!
Hawiye may not show their HATE but be assured "Somalia Unaka leh" is not going to change with a Football match. besides 90% of Moqadishu properties did not belong to hawiye in 1991.
Those who control stolen properties in Moqadishu will become millionaires if allowed to keep the properties. The real battle for Moqadishu OWNERSHIP is coming and i sense a bloodbath.
"MJ-Worrier" lol believe what you want ? and i dint say football is gonna change all the animosity that has happened for the last 2 decades but that its a start by bring different clans back together to interact with one or another instead of the usual states quo of you stay on that side and i stay on mine bushiness. Talking about properties thousand of people and not just from the Hawiye side have regained their houses as long as you have documentation to proof its yours then you will get it back. If you go to Mogadishu today instead of looking on screens you wont believe what your eyes are seeing its like a beehive of people from all sorts of clans. Obviously at this moment of time the Hawiye people are treated with more care when it comes to politics because of the situation but one things for sure and that is that theirs no more segregating each other any clan/tribe can do business wherever it wants and buy a house wherever it wants.
#correction there's no more segregating each other
“Unaka kaliya somaaliya ma lahin xaad shegee bacow yahow”.mr delution, where did you get This wrong figure 90% properties did not belong to haw*ye.
This shows your low level of knowledge in This area,don’t talk about something you don’t know.
70% all private hotels use to belong to hawiye,55% all private land and houses use to belong to hawiye,60% all The business use to own and run hawiye Those days. now you tell me hawiye doesn’t have anything in mogadishu.
The reason haw*ye manage to get all These properties is They always follow where The money is also barre regime give Them big break.
all illegal occupied houses/land will be return to righful owners and all The properties reposes barre regime 1969-1977 will also give back orginal owners.
Bro this guy buuxiye his sole purpose on here is to spit propaganda whether its right or wrong to him everything's always right lol. He knows deep down his losing the secessionist dream there's currently a HUGE brain drain going when it comes to that subject people are starting to wake up from that long long hibernation and he doesn't like that at all him and his like minded associate's .
I don't really care if you People have another Savage war and irradiate yourselves of the face of the EARTH.
All we ask is that you TAKE BACK your 80,000 Starving Refugees back to your "Unaka Leh Somalia" OK?
We will deal with the rest later… Take back your Refugees before you make any claims of PEACE or stability or people rushing back to Moqadishu.
If 80,000 left from s/land region Than i guess The whole place will become Empty house only diluted and half habashi will be left There.
I don’t hargiesa counsil will Them go because all The AID donoted to These poor poeple goes hands of few individuale.
why is the dar00d community pretending to be haw!ye. Is that how insecure they are. everyone hates them that is why they are pretending to be everyone else. they are jews of somalis
So are you saying the hawiye people are pro for the Somaliland to secede if yes then your more delusional than i thought you were. I'm a pro unionist and your kind are clearly being threatened by my intellectual mind lol.
correct..i doubt hargiesa.
Good old days in somalia late seventies i never miss when notherens play any match whether soccer,volly ball,basketball.
Even when losing The match They use to say”DEE CAYARI WAA GALIN DANBE”.
I played so many matches in This stadium good old days.
yes mogadishu will be revived greater somalia will emerge and no one will stop us from holding hands again in unison fake unionists like the ethiopian stooge yeey pirateland warrior will be flushed out like the other enemies within who worship their clans and attack others at the same time what idiots lool
VIVE LE GRANDE SOMALIE
Next year we are going to have the first Somali regional tournament in long time and they will come from all Somali regions including NFD, northern Somalia (Somaliland), Central (Puntland+Galmudug), Southern (Jubbas), Somali West (Jigjiga), Banadir + Bay + Bakol and of course Djibouti.
I am confident North Somalia will take the trophy and let me remind everyone that indeed northern Somalia did have one of the best teams in Somalia, them and Kismayo.
Those from Bosaaso and central were always last in the game, at one point they came to Hargeisa I heard and they sent them back with huge score so the kids sang "Ma Bosaasa ka timi? Ma soo badii bad istidhi? Ma bodhkay kugu qaseen?"
Somali games are coming back but this time we are going to have stadiums in Mogadishu, Kismayo, Hargeisa and Bosaaso, no point playing in Mogadishu always, its good to have home and away games.
Hargeisa deserves the first stadium in pre-civil war.
Kayse—- Bosaso Team isn’t the old Bosaso you used to know. Now they are the most feared Football team in the region if we’re following Somalia’s Soccer lately. forget about those in Xamar or Somaliland or other teams from Puntland. We will invite any team any day. Cum see us.
do you take drugs, if so then see a doctor soon please.
otherwise listen to this good song.
you are welcome
Wallahi our new president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is a liwaax he has forced IGAD aka Kenya to concede defeat on the subject of who can supervise on the creation Jubbaland this is a another proof that Somalia is definitively re'rising. http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/hoa/articl…
Where does it say anything about Jubbaland or forcing on this quote and the article? . "As a member state, we value the relationship and the co-operation between the Somali government and IGAD; we work together on many fronts in dealing with a range of issues," Mohamud said.
Sounds like he is a libaax just in your mind,