Why Nigeria wants to host 2020 FIFA U-20 Women World Cup, by Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday gave reasons why Nigeria wants to host the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women World Cup

Apart from the desire to host the sporting event next year, he said that Nigeria wants to satisfy the needs of Nigerians who have demonstrated uncommon love for football over the years.

Osinbajo spoke while receiving a delegation of FIFA Inspection Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo said “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.

“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,” the Vice President stated.

According to him, the Federal Government is excited about the prospect of Nigeria hosting the 2020 FIFA U-20 Women World Cup,

“Going round this country you will notice that practically every Nigerian is a football fan. We are excited about the prospect of hosting the competition,” the VP told the FIFA delegation,

Prof. Osinbajo also pointed out that Nigeria has indeed participated in all FIFA’s female competition and that the country has the number to effectively host the sporting event next year.

Speaking earlier, the head of the FIFA Inspection team, Mr Kaj Heyral observed that the team was impressed with the facilities they have seen and expressed appreciation for the hospitality shown by Nigeria during their two-week stay.

A decision on Nigeria’s bid to host the event will be taken next month.

Mr Amaju Pinnick, the President of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, said that hosting the competition will further boost Nigeria’s positive image.

According to him, the FIFA team inspected six stadia, 13 training sites, nine hospitals and about 10 hotels in the country.

He added that Nigeria’s 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.”