Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Thursday received a delegation of FIFA Inspection Team for the U-20 Women World Cup in 2020 at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Osinbajo told the team led by Mr Kaj Heyral that the team the federal government is supporting the bid of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to host the female soccer competition.
“Going round this country you will have noticed that practically every Nigerian is a football fan. We are excited about the prospect of hosting the competition
“The federal government is backing Nigeria’s bid fully and we are prepared to do all that is required for the adequate comfort of our guests and fans,” he said.
The vice president said Nigeria has participated in all FIFA’s female competition and that the country has the number to effectively host the sporting event next year.
He said government was not just interested in the business of hosting the sporting event, but satisfying the needs of the people who have, over the years, demonstrated uncommon love for football.
“Nigeria’s love for football is a mark of well-being, and it is also culturally important to us. It is a unifying force for the people. We politicians don’t even compete with footballers, they are far more famous than us,” he said.
Speaking earlier, head of FIFA Inspection team Mr Kaj Heyral said the team was impressed with the facilities they have seen.
He also expressed appreciation for the hospitality shown by Nigeria during their two-week stay, stressing that a decision on Nigeria’s bid to host the event would be taken next month.
In his remarks, president of the Nigerian Football Federation Mr Amaju Pinnick said hosting the competition would boost Nigeria’s image.
He said the FIFA team inspected six stadia, 13 training sites, nine hospitals and about 10 hotels in the country.
He said hosting of the sporting event “is about the future of Nigerian football; it is about the future of our youths; it is about the future of our female players.”
