N.O.R.F Posted January 9, 2005 Somali's make worthwhile visit Tuesday, 02 July 2002. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A delegation from the Somali Football Federation led by its Senior Vice President, Mohiadin Hassan Ali, and the Somali-UK Sports & Cultural Association visited The F.A. headquarters yesterday to formally receive a donation of football kit. Somalia is one of two countries selected by UEFA and CAF as beneficiaries of special assistance in 2002 under the UEFA-CAF Meridian Project and, in the spirit of co-operation, The Football Association agreed to provide kit in support of the Meridian programme. "We welcomed the visit by representatives of the Somali FF in London yesterday, as well as the opportunity to meet members of the UK-based community which numbers some 80,000", said Head of International Relations, Jane Bateman. "We presented the delegation with a sizeable amount of football kit, under the umbrella of the Meridian Project, which will be of immense value in a country which has been ravaged by war". Football is readily recognised as a force of unity through hardship and Somalia is no stranger to adversity with a history of lawlessness, chaos and uncertainty. According to Mr Bashir, Chairman of the Somali UK Sports & Cultural Association, however, rival rebel groups have been known to put down their guns and play football before resuming hostilities! "The situation in Somalia has ups and downs these days", he said. "The biggest problem for football is establishing it in an organised way. The shortage of resources means that organised recreational activity in schools is lacking". "Most of The F.A.'s work in Africa is co-ordinated through the confederation, CAF", explained Jane Bateman. "We have recently embarked on a series of workshops to which each African nation in CAF is invited, including Somalia. We are also very committed to our partners in the Meridian Project, Botswana, Malawi and Lesotho. Outside of these two initiatives, we offer support and materials where possible, and hope to be in a position to assist Somalia in this way". http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/InternationalRelations/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2002/07/15110.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
