FIFA to partner with NFF on Football Made in Anambra project

FIFA yesterday declared its readiness to partner with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to actualize the Football Made in Anambra '1 Family - Footballer' project initiated by Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah led Anambra State Football Association (ANSFA).

President of the world football governing body, Gianni Infantino, who hailed the project as a major developmental project in Nigerian football assured that FIFA will key into it through the NFF.

It would be recalled that the Anambra State FA recently launched this novel initiative which will involve participants from over 50,000 families in Anambra state and in Diaspora. According to the association, this programme is structured to unearth budding talents whose skills will be developed by the best hands available both locally and internationally in an academy set up by the Chairman of the association, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah.

Infantino, who noted that he had discussed extensively with the Chairman of Anambra State FA, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah on the project noted that the project, if actualized would be of immense benefit to Nigeria, adding that it is such laudable developmental projects that FIFA would want its member associations to be identified with, especially with the recent increase in the football development fund.

“It is a very important project that the Anambra State FA is undertaking. We have discussed this with the chairman of the FA and you know FIFA is very active in the development of the game through the local association. We are going to embrace the project through the NFF, whatever FIFA can do to encourage the project and even produce more than 50,000 players in the country. This is exactly the direction we want to see the member associations to follow and we are very happy that such a programme is coming from Nigeria”.

In his reactions, the Chairman of Anambra State FA, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, expressed his happiness with the position of FIFA to identify with the project, adding that the Anambra FA has been energized to move forward with such position.

“We have taken Anambra state to FIFA and it has manifested in the visit of the FIFA president to Nigeria. Now that FIFA has keyed into the 50,000 footballers project of the Anambra state FA with the assurance that they will support us technically, I am so happy for this has gone a lot way to prove the genuinely of the football made in Anambra project, which is becoming a reality. Over 50,000 families will benefit from the project with so many other incentives for other sectors in the state,” he noted