Barcelona Football Club of Spain has promised to hit Nigeria soon by establishing its first Football Academy in Africa, in Lagos with the Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode pledging his total support for the move.
the Director of Business and Member of FC Barcelona Management Board, who led the team to the State House, Pau Vilanova Vila-Abadal, said that Barcelona FC had decided to establish its Academy in Lagos due to the impressive population of the state and the opportunity to share the philosophy of the team with the state.
This was even as the Worldwide Director of Barcelona Academy, Oscar Grau, said that it is a big honour for the club to establish its Academy in Lagos as many of the big names in the team started from such Academy.
Grau said that players like Messi, Iniesta, Sergio Busquet, Pique, among others started from such Academy and that the club has a unique methodology of instilling great virtues in footballers, apart from footballing skills and education.
He added that through the Academy, the club also aims to raise excellent players for Nigeria and that the core values of the club included efforts, team work, humility and respect.
Governor Ambode expressed delight with the development, saying that it is in line with his administration’s philosophy for sports development.
The Governor, who described the development as an historic moment for the state, said it is a thing of joy coming at a time when the state is still basking in the euphoria of the successful hosting of the International Marathon.
He said that the Lagos Marathon is a major pointer to how Lagos could actualize its dream of improving the Gross Domestic Product of the state using sports as a major instrument.
“This visit by FC Barcelona is coming at a point where I believe strongly that we have nothing else to say than to say we are committed into this partnership because we know the partnership will give us the first FCBEscola in Africa.
“I was made to understand that this is the first of its kind in Africa and so Lagos is priding itself as a major receptor of the next academy to be established in Africa.
“I know that this will create a very good platform for youth development, grassroots empowerment and also for the value of sportsmanship.
“We share the same values with FC Barcelona, which are respect, courage, humility, social integration and community service.
“So, I just want to say that you have our blessing. You have our go ahead.
“Whatever it is that we need to do to ensure that this project take off as quick as possible as a government, we are 100 per cent ready to support you in the interest of all of us.”
The Governor, who reiterated the importance of sports to integration and development, said sport is the future of service to create a platform for youth employment and youth engagement in Lagos.
“I believe so much that sports, entertainment and arts can actually contribute together to lift Lagos and Nigeria away from the problem of unemployment and that is why this government will continue to support sports in its ramifications and ensure that we take our youth off the street and make them productively engaged.”
Governor Ambode pledged the full support of the state government to the Nigeria Football Federation in hosting the first ever Beach Soccer African Nations Cup in Lagos, which will hold between December 10 and 23, 2016.
Also speaking, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, congratulated governor Ambode on the successful hosting of the Lagos International Marathon, saying that it was one of the most successful tournaments in the world.
Pinnick pledged the support of the Federation to ensure the success of the Academy, especially in terms of facilitating the necessary approvals needed for expeditious take off of the project.
He said that Lagos, under governor Ambode and his predecessors, had always been a major destination for sports and that the Confederation of African Football had just approved the hosting of the first ever Beach Soccer African Nations Cup in Lagos in December.
“The tournament is a major qualifier for the World Cup and eight best Beach soccer teams in Africa will converge in Lagos for the tournament and we know that Lagos has always played a pivotal role in redefining and rebranding Nigeria, which we are very excited about.” [myad]
