U-17 World Cup: FIFA may shock Nigeria - As inspectors name selected venues today

By Ganiyu Salman - 21.05.2009

Obafemi Matins NIGERIANS should prepare for a shocker today as the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) inspection team led by Mr. Jack Warner, announces the venues of the 2009 U-17 World Cup billed for October this year.

Reason: the team which has been in the country since last week, according to our findings, is not totally convinced about the seriousness of Nigeria to stage the biennial soccer fiesta.

A Tribunesports source pointed out that only four centres: Abuja, Ijebu Ode, Lagos and Kaduna met the expectations of the FIFA team as regards hosting matches of the championship.

Other proposed centres were yet to tidy up things which could affect the country's chances of getting a pass mark to stage the championship already tagged “Nigeria 2009,” 10 years after Nigeria hosted the World Youth Championship (WYC).

Warner could not hide the team's displeasure with the facilities on ground at the Bauchi centre, while Kano centre too was yet to put in place astroturf, floodlights, electronic scoreboard and the track layout which the FIFA team expressed reservations about during its visit on Tuesday. The situation in Bauchi is not different as the centre is yet to fulfil all the righteousness when the FIFA team came calling, while the state of security in the Niger Delta could not pave the way for the inspectors to even visit the Warri centre to assess its level of preparedness to host.

Warri could have passed the FIFA litmus test but for the insecurity in the area which has been a source of concern to the FIFA facilities and security team.

Enugu and Calabar are invariably out of the race, given the prevailing circumstances, as the Warner-led team was not impressed with what the two centres have put in place so far. The FIFA team would visit the Lagos centre today for the last leg of the visit where it would announce whether Nigeria 2009 will become a reality or not.