Nigeria is sure to set an all-time report as the primary nation ever to stage a soccer occasion within the historical past of the Commonwealth Video games ought to the African nation win its bid to host the multi-sports fiesta in 2030, Sports247 reviews.
This a lot was disclosed by the Nationwide Sports activities Fee (NSC) chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, who affirmed that the ‘distinctive promoting level’ in Nigeria’s bid that was formally submitted initially of this week on the Commonwealth of Nations headquarters in London was to have soccer included within the Video games’ official roll name of occasions.
Sports247 can verify that soccer has by no means been a part of the Commonwealth Video games’ occasions, principally due to the extremely saturated calendar it’s already battling to unravel yearly, and because of the international sanctioning physique, FIFA’s willpower to keep away from having a parallel championship to rival the World Cup.
In impact, a serious hurdle Nigeria would face is to discover a new age-category for soccer on the 2030 Commonwealth Video games and keep away from clashes with different FIFA competitions, particularly the Ladies’s World Cup, whereas additionally bearing in mind dates of the main European leagues’ seasons.
Nonetheless, Dikko sounded optimistic that Nigeria would get the Commonwealth Video games Excessive Fee’s nod to host the spectacle amongst former colonies of Nice Britain, and he identified that it will lay floor for larger worldwide influence from Africa’s most populated nation.
Dikko expatiated, “We need to use sports activities to supply a basis that may open up the nation globally. That’s why we aren’t simply bidding to host the Commonwealth Video games, we’re additionally within the race to host the 2031 Africa Video games.
“As soon as we make investments and host the Commonwealth Video games in 2030, the next yr, in 2031, the identical infrastructure can be used to do the opposite one on a bigger scale.”
Other than touting soccer as a robust bait that would swing the 2030 Commonwealth Video games in Nigeria’s favour, Dikko went on to stipulate a really elaborate sequence of actions and gatherings that may see Nigeria put together itself structurally, logistically and administratively for the convergence of over 50 former members of the British Empire.
The previous chairman of Nigeria Skilled Soccer League (NPFL) added, “We already have the rights to host the 2027 Africa Youth Video games, which might give us a check run of amenities for the Commonwealth Video games three years later.
“Moreover, we aren’t simply considering of internet hosting the Commonwealth Video games in Abuja alone, we are going to attempt to take some occasions right down to Lagos and different components of the nation.
“Now we have already proposed that, if we get the rights to host, we are going to put soccer matches in there. We are going to prepare for the soccer matches to be performed all throughout the nation; which might assist different states to enhance their amenities as effectively.”
Sports247 reviews additional that Nigeria’s high-powered delegation that formally delivered the Commonwealth Video games bid included many esteemed personalities from the diplomatic sector, authorities ministers, leisure icons and sports activities legends, amongst whom was Africa’s former girls’s 100m report holder, Mary Onyali
