Famous Nigeria and Arsenal team Nwankwo Kanu, who has been in Hargeisa for the last few days, has made various promises to young players from the Hargeisa academy teams after watching the youth team’s play at Hargeisa Stadium.
The 49-year-old, who won the 1996 Olympic Gold, was in Hargeisa to participate in the commemoration of the 18th of May, the day Somaliland declared its independence, also had meetings with the sports community, told the young footballers in Hargeisa about the various challenges he has had during his time in the sport from the club to the national level.
The government of Somaliland, which invited Kanu, said that it hopes that it will be able to facilitate the establishment of various international connections with Somaliland.
The former arsenal, Ajax, Inter Milan and West Bromwich striker landed in Hargeisa on Saturday, where various officials welcomed him.
According to Somaliland Sports Deputy Minister Yusuf Noux Yusuf (Tadhase), Kanu’s trip came after an invitation by President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro), who has been a friend of the player since they met in London in 2017.
“The purpose of Kanu’s visit was to participate in the commemoration of May 18 and to have meetings with him and open up international connections in the field of sports, taking advantage of his name in the world and Africa,” said Yusuf Tadhase.
Yusuf Tadhase noted that during his stay, they will inform him about the sports situation in Somaliland, so that he see what to offer.
Nwankwo Kanu, said he is happy to visit Somaliland and to have a meeting with the Somaliland sports community.
Kanu, who visited the Hargeisa Stadium, the largest football stadium in Somaliland, , met young people from four clubs in Hargeisa.
He told the young players about the stages he went through in his youth and the difficult moments he faced.
“I am an African player, I am from Nigeria, I was a little boy who played on the streets of Nigeria like you, I did not have shoes to play, I was thin some said to me before you play ball eat. But today I am a famous man in the world, I have built houses for the poor, and built hospitals for them.”
“I am here to see how you play, I will choose h the best 18 players, we give them clothes and shoes to play. From , the 18 Players, the two or three best, disciplined and most dedicated, I’m going to make them progress, and I’m going to train them. If you want to play ball, there must be a decision, and you must be selfless, if you do not do this do not waste time playing football,” said Kanu.
Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Somaliland Yusuf Noux Yusuf, speaking to the BBC, said that the visit of the Nigerian player to Hargeisa is expected to help them develop the sport and establish external ties “There is a lot of need in the sports sector in Somaliland, including the stadiums, If the players are to be trained in African countries to play, just like other African akadies that we would not have contacts with, Kanu can help us as he is an international player, with different connections”.
The Deputy Minister of Sports said that the arrival of Kanu in Hargeisa means that the peace in Somaliland will be appreciated by other well-known players, who can help in the development of sports, as Somaliland does not have international recognition .
“This visit by Kanu shows us the peace in Somaliland attract other international players to come to us and also investors. Now there are other connections that we are pursuing to bring in other international players,” he continued.
Abshir Dayib, who plays for the youth team called Roma was one of the most promising players, said he was happy that a former football player who reached international level made a promise “It is a pleasure for me that Kanu is watching us, and he makes a promise to us, I think he saw my game.. This is not something that has happened before in Somaliland”.
Abshir, who plays in the attack added that he expects Kanu to help his future in the game.
Adil Good Hurre, vice president of Somaliland Football Association, said Kanu could help a lot and make it easier for them to cooperate with their counterparts in Nigeria and other countries.
“It means to us that he has a great deal, first to learn about Somaliland, to reach the world with the name Somaliland. It also means that it will be an encouragement for young people in the sport to meet a famous player and encourage them,” said the Vice President of Somaliland Football Association.
Nwankwo Kanu was an attacking player for Nigeria, he also played for European clubs including Ajax who won the UEFA Champions League in 1995, while north London club Arsenal won the Premier League.
He has also starred for West Bromwich, Portsmouth and other clubs including Inter Milan.
He has twice been crowned the best football player in Africa.
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