Posted By Trace Reporter on 14 August 2016In view of the abundance of talented footballers in the North in general, and Kaduna in particular, a consortium of football experts are finalizing plans of setting up a world-class football institute in Kaduna State.
CEO of New Age Sports Africa, and co owner of Football Fives World Championship Nigeria (FSWC), Yusuf Shamsudeen Tijjani has disclosed, adding that it would be a Public Private Partnership project.
Tijjani who was speaking to newsmen at the sidelines of the Ultimate Youth Football Tournament at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium on Saturday evening, explained that plans have advanced in ensuring the project came to reality.
“Already we have been to the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House to discuss with the Kaduna State Government and we are optimistic that the Governor Nasir el-Rufai led government being a proactive administration that is committed at delivering the dividends of democracy would partner with us in making the project a huge success.
“We are hoping they would provide some logistic support as well as the land where the institute would be sited. This kind of project has been required long ago because as we speak, a survey by an independent organization conducted recently disclosed that most footballers that were discovered in the country, had a connection with Kaduna or the North,” he said.
The New Age CEO said that the kind of institution they have in the plans, is one that will combine the normal Nigerian secondary school curriculum and the grooming of football equally, to make their products sound educationally and football wise.
“You cannot succeed in the academy if you are good in football and not sound in academics,” he added.
On why the plans for the maiden Annual Football Summit billed to hold in Abuja from August 13-16 has been shelved, he attributed the decision to logistics.
“Yes we have cancelled the summit because of some reasons we can’t really discuss now,” he said.
But when reporters probed further, he opened up that the sponsors for the Summit backed out in the last minutes, for fear of uncertainty.
“Most of the sponsors we got were from Lagos so when they realized the event would be holding in Kaduna which we chose because of the availability of talents, they backed out saying it was too far for them.
“We chose Kaduna because if we decided to host the Ultimate Cup in another state and then the talents are not spotted, our scouts who came from Europe may become disappointed. Next year however, we may be hosting this in a different state,” he said.
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