FA Pledges Support For Emirate Cup
Continental and global soccer bodies, Confederation of Africa Football, CAF, and FIFA may no longer treat mishaps in grassroots football tournaments with kid gloves, says Idris Abdullahi Musa aka Thuraya, Football Association, FA, Kwara State, adding that the global soccer bodies have the names, contact addresses and details of all local council FA chairmen forwarded from the state FA.
“This is the esence of democratising soccer administration especially at the grassroots. There is no such things as small tournament or championship in football anymore,” said the state FA boss on Tuesday in Ilorin at the Usman Mustapha Football House, Ilorin, the state office of the FA.
Thuraya made the comment while recieving the organising committee of the Ilorin Emirate Football Committee, IEFC, who came to pay the chairman a courtesy visit while also soliciting support for the potentially epochally massive Emir’s Cup.
The FA chair stated that soccer championships, especially at the grassroots, must meet some minimum requirements in safety, officiating and other details.
“Any soccer tournament must be duly registered by the local council FA, after that coaches in such tournaments must all be registere coaches with the FA and the referees must be those sanctioned by the Nigerian Referees Association, NRA,” said Thuraya.
Apart from these details, there must be ambulances and security at the venue of each match, the FA chairman said.
But speaking on the purpose of the visit to the FA chairman, Alhaji Owolabi Adebayo Wopa Owolabi , Chairman Ilorin West FA, also the chairman Ilorin Emirate Football Committee, IEFC, said that there is need to visit Kwara FA boss given the significance of the forthcoming Emir’s Cup.
“As the most successful FA chairman Kwara has ever had, we feel there is a need to carry you along in the organisation of the Emir’s Cup championship,” said Wopa.
He added that the competition is meant to honour the Emir, His Royal Majesty, Ibarhim Sulu-Gambari, on his 28 years on the throne.
“You are the most successful chairman because for the first time in Kwara, all 16 local council in Kwara have FAs with duely elected members
“We are also here to Inform you that we not lacking in our responsibilities. Part of our mandate is to organise befitting grassroots competition. This particular tournament is meant to honour the Emir’s 28 years on the throne in November.
“We seek FA’s support to make the competition a success,” Wopa said.
