By Nuri Aden
Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, is due to host its first high profile football match since the outbreak of civil war more than three decades ago, with African legends of the game taking to the field for an exhibition match against their Somali counterparts.
The match on Tuesday will be played at Mogadishu stadium and will feature African footballing icons like Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, Emmanuel Adebayor of Togo and Jay-Jay Okocha of Nigeria.
Dubbed the Legendary Peace Tour, it is meant to underline Somalia’s ambitions to return to the international football scene. Delegations from FIFA and the continental football body, CAF, are also expected to visit the country soon.
Somalia Football Federation said the exhibition match is also aimed at reshaping global perceptions of the country’s stability and readiness to rejoin the international sporting community.
‘Massive boost’
“Somalia being able to host matches at Mogadishu stadium is a massive boost for our football profile,” said Ali Abdi Mohamed, President of the Somali Football Federation.
“The objective is to show that our stadiums are ready to host high-calibre matches. We want to identify the remaining gaps to meet international standards,” he added.
Eto’o, Adebayor and Okocha have already arrived in the country. Their presence marks the first time since the 1970s when international footballers of such stature visited Mogadishu.
Mogadishu stadium was once among East Africa’s premier football venue and hosted packed tournaments such as the 1977 CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup.
Turned military base
But it was turned into a military base at the height of the civil war, and at some point hosted UN peacekeepers and troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) who were deployed to protect the government there.
It was reopened in 2020 following repair works to restore its status.
“By hosting players of this calibre, our aim is to encourage and convince on Somalia’s suitability to host international fixtures – both club and national,” said Mohamed. “It has been a long time since we’ve hosted a match of this level.”
Entry to the match will be free with thousands of fans expected to attend. Security has been heightened around the venue.
Meeting president
The African legends will later visit the presidential palace for a meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
“We hope Somali people will help change the image, attend in high numbers and show their support,” said the SFF president. “Our people deserve football. Our youth deserve to dream again.”
The match is expected to be a pivotal step toward Somalia hosting official FIFA or CAF fixtures in the near future.
