FIFA helps Somalia revive its oldest and largest sporting facility in the capital after years of unrest (Photo/Midnimo).
The Somali Football Federation (SFF) this week unveiled the first phase of the renovation of Somalia’s oldest and largest football facility.
The renovation work is part of a large initiatives by FIFA under its Win In Africa With Africa program and hopes to revive sport in the war ravaged nation. The first phase, which took a month to complete, included the installation of artificial surface for the first time.
The federation and its sub-contractor the East African Modern Engineering Company (EMECO) brought in an expert from the Dutch-based construction company Greenfield to supervise the works.
The new surface will get reviews very soon when the country hosts the next edition of regional football tournament for peace and development early 2013.
With a capacity of 15,000, the stadium was inaugurated in 1956 by the Italians and was later expanded by the Chinese in the 1980s. At one stage, it was the largest and the most modern 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. It has multi-uses and plans to add additional facilities are underway. These upgrades include VIP facilities and accommodations.
After going through so many different era, stages and events including colonial rule, socialism, civil war, Islamists and Ethiopian control, the stadium is slowly returning into the right hands in the Somali Football Federation organization.
Somalilandpress
Ahmed Ismael Samater of HIILQARAN confirmed there are 1.5MILLION IDPS in Moqadishu who are starving and you want to tell me about a STADIUM being built using Millions in AID donations?
Somalia has and will forever lack the sense to prioritize it's projects.
Buuxiye, be nice sxb. It's a positive news but so much work to be done
buxiw.
Artificial turf does not cost millions you crazy Midget.
I hope they get their priorities staright.
FiFa gives the money directly to the subcontractor
under the “Win in Africa With Africa” Program.
So it’s not like if they give the money directly to the somali. It is either like that or Nothing Pal !
So mind your business ComeAgain !
Separatists like Buuxiye are only mad because for two decades the separatists couldn't even roll a simple green rug in one of the many empty soccer fields in the triangular villages. Kids still play with socks balls and dusty uneven livestock markets (saylada ayay ku ciyaaran).
Sucks to be part of such miserable society that can't even get a rug in 21 years.
at least those children have food and water. Those children don't live on donations from third world countries
Kayse said the truth mate, i wonder why don't you just accept the reality? Or i must believe that as always kayse says "separatists' lies, || dreams, || on the run, || …" must be true statements. Isn't it?
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk listen, i saw on maamulka somaliland tv khal-daan youngsters dying in the yemeni desert. The arabs shooting at the africans. Why are they killing poor isaaqs? Are they not banu hashim arabs?
Kayse, you have forgotten these children played on the dust play ground in a peace for 21 years! No one is going to shot them at the head, imaging what is like having safe and secure environment for your chidren, wow its unbelievable!.
It is because of the gentlemen agreement between Al Shabaab executives and their somaliland islamist bosses !
Tell me it’s false i dare you !
We all know why Sland is the only somali
territory That doesn’t suffer from Terrorist
attack while Somalia, Puntland, ogaden,
northern Kenya paid the hefty price !
ayanle why happaned to your other name puntlandgeezer
Nope geezer is an another ally in my struggle !
But you May remember as Unionist Ayanle or
Faqash boy !
Shabab was created by Somalia for use in Somalia and they did a good job until they backfired and cut off the next generation's wrists and stoned the rest.
Answer to your questions simple is because somalilanders use their brains dude wake up and use yours at list for people.
For your
Hey dont confuse me with whoever, I am ComeAgain so chill the fu g out dha doodhi saanka dhoodhi mo fos
Is dechiya horta yelping like b ytches the lot of ya.
Now, Good luck to SOmalia the hawyie raxanwayne etc have never been our enemies we wish you all the best walalyal we all suffered under si yaa d and his ilk but the hyenas are gone well most and now you rule in your lands and we in ours. Lets move on and build a life for our respective people in peace and let the hyenas yelp while we do it.
yahooooooos, GO take your medication, no recognition kkkkkk,
listen khaldaan comeagain, we rule you from Xamar oke? Without our signature you are nothing but khateating mickeymouseland.
As i remember this stadium build by the chines goverment, nothing left today accept few walla, what a shame. the moryaan took very brick from that stadium what use to be modern sports stadium. the same faith happen to NATIONAL THEATER…
correct… every brick… chinese….. walls
this is NOT the largest football facility.! this is konis stadium also called banaadir the largest is somali national stadium. 47000 capacity.
"It hosted many international competitions including All Arab games, All African games, the CECAFA tournament and many others. It has multi-uses and plans to add additional facilities are underway. "
again it is being confused with the big stadium.!! i know mogadishu from the back of my hand. well if i still can recognize from the ruins!!!!!!!!
Thanks for that correction!!!
The fact that we once had "the largest and the most modern facility in Africa and the Arab world" and that this facility "hosted many international competitions including All Arab games, All African games, the CECAFA tournament and many others" shows who we were yesterday and the disaster that has befallen on our country. Most people also do not know that the LA Lakers used to come to Mogadishu many times to play basketball games with the Somali National Basketball team.
In a time that is not that far, Somalia from Liboi to Lowya Addo was a beautiful place where people did not close their gates when they sleep at night or in the day time for that matter. That oasis of tranquility was destroyed by nomads who see everything in the lens of tribalism. As the late Timadde (AUN) has so eloquently said in his poem "tribalism does not give you shelter and sustaince but only destroys your house".
If you want to see tribalism's destructive power and how it dulls the mind, just read the hateful comments that are very quickly filling this page. Why would anyone care so much about who gets a little turf of an artificial grass?
Most Somalis don't have food, shelters, running water or even proper sanitation..yet we're focusing on an artificial turf in a soccer stadium, what a wasteful debate.
I agree with you completely; our number one priority should be to provide basic essentials such as shelter, potable water and proper sanitation to our poor masses. Unfortunately, as a die-hard tribalists, every Somali will now demand an artificial grass turf in their little dusty village or else. Whoever donated this grass has created another bone of contention.
I'm with you almost everything in exception to, where you included me as you chose the word "our" .
I'm only a concerned African neighbor, I have nothing to do with Somalia..
so you are not a Somali osman qaal
Loool, don't be silly Osman Qaal is a ''Somalilander'' , a word half of those who claim can't even pronounce it properly, ask any hard core separatist where they from and they'd be like ''Somali-line''
Sahra,
My ethnicity is Somali, by nationality I'm' a proud Somalilander. Just like an Arab and an Egyptian..
It doesn't make that much sense if one identifies himself or herself Arab nationality…because there're a lot of Arab countries in Africa as well as in Asia..We shouldn't be debating on this, in this day and age . Isn't it obvious to you by now?
I agree with you what you just said. but at this moment we're one country and till the international community says other wise and I don't want hear IC does not count because we all know that's not true in the meant time why don't we all Somalis start a way to benefiting our people the best way possible and hopefully will find workable lasting solutions to all our concern.
I wish everyone would think like you Sahra! You are one of the few smart people on this issue that not only see the bigger picture but see what our forefathers/foremothers saw long time. Imagine where USA would have been without the unity they have today and don't forget about Germany united after a long separation.
You got this one damn right.
I agree with Osman Qaal and Allemagan that we need to provide our masses the basic necessities but damn that turf sure looks gorgeous thou.
walaal don't say that, is good to do both things at the same time because most of our children don't have a place to play so let them have it. We know that most of people are in need but is also good to realize that most of our youth are jobseekers.People can become hungry but when you build this stadium it will be always there, it doesn't need food like humans.
I wonder if they care about those who are starving of the population. What a joke.
"hosted many international competitions including All Arab games, All African games, the CECAFA tournament and many others" That is all BS and never happened. This creating history of Somalia from zero. Tell me when that took place. I am an ex-foot baller, who played for the National team and I have not witnessed this crap. May be this only happened in the little mind of Allemegen/kayse. somalia was nothing before and will always be nothing unless you sacrifice people like KEyse?Allmegen. HHHHHHH
keyse fart again
Abdi- not real name,
I guess your real name is then Getachew, is it?
You are writing your little comments from the Abyssinian spy office in Hargiesa or Bosaso. Enjoy your stinky teff today and entertain the misguided Garadag separatists for whatever it is worth. You know you will not even have a spy office in historical Muslim Showa when men like Kayse and Allemagan come to power in Somalia.
read Shewa
Should be called Zoomalia Bugball Federation because they have never have an influence with Somalis except inside little offices in Nairobi.
We should sue them or even take ta war of aggression against them wherever they are housed until they drop the "Somali" word from their title.
Just gaalo ppl handing money to each other so they can claim they have helped "Africa" instead of a bunch of Qat eating walaweyn.
FOR THOSE WHO USE THE SNM (Somali National Movement) FOR A SECESSIONIST AGENDA.
The founders of SNM never wanted a secession from the south. The evidences of that are first the name itself. If they wanted a secession, they would have chosen ''Somaliland National Movement'' instead ''Somali National Movement'' as their movement name. The SNM (Somali National Movement) and the USC (United Somali Congress) which Aidid was the chairman were two allied movements who had one agenda, which was fighting the injustice military regime. But ones the the military regime was defeated, self interest seeking separatism individuals high-jacked the SNM movement and changed it from fighting injustice to a separatism movement. Even the late Somalia Prime Minister Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal tried to steer the SNM back to its original path when he became the President of North-Somaliland region of Somalia. Even one of the SNM high-jackers (Abdirahman Awale) who became the leader of it to, quoted this about Egal: "when he says he is for independence, it is for local consumption only''. And it is for that reason only why the so called independence was supported by all the clans in the north. You can even found in youtube, videos were by original ''Is@@q'' SNM members (not the high-jackers) clearly stating that the north would not have or seek a secession from the south ever.
To the young brainwashed ''Is@@q'' brothers and sister. Pleas do seek the truth. The many ''Is@@qs'' who died to keep the unity of Somalia are millions times more than those who who brainwashed you guy's with a separatism agenda.
It's a shame what many men of SNM fought and died for are being flipped and changed by men who never shed blood, sweat or tears for the movement.
If you weren't racist and a brainwashed hater, you would have respected Isaaq ppls wishes instead of dictating to them as if your cambuulo is mightier than everything else.
Truth,
I am an SNM and we fought for Somali nationalism free of Socialism and Scientific Siyadism. Nothing else. Those hide behind SNM for their secession and grieving agendas mistaken Saaqiid Naago Movement (Garadagland militia) with SNM.
Go away looser!!!
Kayse, you are true isaaq. True isaaq like you i dont call khaldaans. The khaldaans are khateating junkies who think they are a country. But good isaaqs like you, fowziyo, abdullah omar are respected.
I have no clue or any inside information on WHO owns or runs the Somalilandpress web site, but for once, I would like to see Somalilandpress avoiding to project, parlay or inform us Somalilanders of any or every tidbit of information regarding Somalia. A visitor to your website (i.e. mostly Somalilanders) would like to see Somalilndpress informing Somalilanders of any improvements or lack there of, of the Republic of Somaliland as your name portrays. I am not being facetious, but I think that if Somalilandpress would like to inform it's audience of frivolous news, such as putting artificial turf in a stadium in Moga-disho or Somalia in in general, the web site moniker should be changed to Somlia.com, Moga-disho.com.