The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) inspection team recently checked out facilities for the hosting of the 2020 edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Edo State.
The FIFA inspection team, which included Christopher Exley, Sara Jane Booth, Kliment Taseki, Rhiannon Ceirwen Martin and Heyral Kaj Jurgen, were conducted round facilities in Benin City, Edo State capital.
Facilities visited include Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, practice pitches at Western Boys High School, among others.
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They were joined on the tour by Nigeria’s bid coordinator, Mallam Mainasara Ilo and officials of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) including its President, Amaju Pinnick, Aisha Falode, head of the Women’s Football League, and Ruth David, head of Women’s football at the federation.
The team expressed satisfaction at the state of facilities visited and later paid a visit to the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, who assured them that the state is capable of hosting the World Cup.
“We are happy to welcome you to our state and we assure you that we are not only willing to host but also that we have what it takes to do so. Here in Edo, we have a tradition of excellence in Sports dating back to the creation of this state. This will be on full display if Nigeria gets to host the tournament,” Governor Obaseki said.
The Governor added that the 2020 World Cup was coinciding with the 2020 National Sports Festival, which Edo State would be hosting. He said long before the decision by FIFA to inspect facilities in the state, his administration had commenced the construction of facilities and the refurbishing of existing ones for the games.
