Sunday September 6, 2020
President and his deputy of Somali Mini Football Association
Mogadishu (HOL) - The regional governments of Puntland, Jubbaland, Hirshabelle and Southwest have opposed the election of the Somali Mini Football Association, which was held on Saturday in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
The sports minister of the four regional administrations, who spoke to HOL, said they did not recognize the election of the federation's president and two deputies. They called the election illegal.
The ministers of sport justified their refusal by saying that they had no input into the electoral process.
Aden Abdulle Mahdi, Somali Football Federation Secretary-General, was elected president while Hassan Abdi Godah and Abukar Hassan Yusuf were elected vice presidents.
The Somali Mini Football Association was established in 2015. It had no prior history and was headed by Abdulkadir Ibrahim Aday, the federation's founder for five years.
The dispute comes as the World Mini Football (WMF) organization prepares to construct mini football stadiums in 7 provinces and 18 regions in Somalia.
The state-of-the-art facilities will reportedly be able to seat 3000 spectators and will include a mosque, gym, and dressing rooms.
Renktaş Mimarlık Mühendislik, a construction firm based in Ankara, Turkey has been awarded the contract.
Abdi Mohamed Ahmed (Abdihaq), former Deputy Chairperson of the SOMFA
Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports wrote a letter in March to the WMF and various national and international sports federations to clarify who was the legally recognized officials for SOMFA. It listed Abdi Mohamed Ahmed (Abdihaq), a former Somali National Team goalkeeper, as the Deputy Chairperson and the point-man for the construction of mini football stadiums in Somalia.
Speaking to HOL from Dubai, Abdihaq said the SOMFA election was illegal because he was not invited to participate in the process.
Minifootball is a spin-off of standard association football played on smaller pitches and with smaller goals. It's played by millions of amateur's around the world. The WMF organizes the WMF World Cup every two years.