• Thuraya

Kwara State Football Association has reiterated that it will continue to protect the integrity of the state, football development as well as Kwara United Football Club, as the club secures final approval to play its home matches in the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season at the Main-Bowl of the State Stadium Complex, Ilorin.

The football controlling body in the state equally added that its absolutely paramount to protect the integrity of Barrister A. U. Mustapha, who approved the request by the FA to have the pitch of the Main-Bowl converted from artificial to natural grass, to not only complement the efforts of the state government, but to bring the state to the mainstream in hosting of national and international football matches.

Speaking to sportsbash.com.ng today at the Kwara State Stadium Complex, the Chairman of the FA, Alhaji Idris Abdullahi Musa said that, among other factors, the conversion was done to align with the rules and considerations of both the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) and that of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) in hosting major tournaments, as there is no such opportunities in the whole of North, except Abuja, which is a Federal Government facility.

“Back then, we advised the state government to renovate and modernize the Oloffa Stadium in Offa, and also construct one in Edu Local Government, to serve as stop gap for Kwara United and other league teams ahead of the conversion of the pitch of the Main-Bowl of the Kwara State Stadium Complex”. he said.

“In addition, we sought approval to construct three training pitches at the State Stadium Complex, to, in a long run, reduce the pressure on the Main-Bowl pitch, because it will be natural grass.

“The sponsor agreed to support the construction, and to a certain level, the maintenance of the facility that is limited to expertise services, since the facility will be making money, expecting that part of the money will be ploughed back into its maintenance.

“But that was not to be, because of certain unfortunate reasons, as the pressure falls back to Kwara United, who are using their money to maintain it even up till now, despite the huge amount of money the pitch has generated from last season till now.

“As FA, its our responsibility to protect the integrity of the game, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, in order to also sustain the significant mileage that the game is bringing to the state, which no sports has been able to do. Football is different from other sports, and should be professionally managed by those who know it.

“it would be recalled that in 2022, the FA vowed to oberved all technicalities on the road towards having a well laid grass at the pitch.

“In the first place, it was the FA that sought for and got the sponsorship for the conversion of the pitch to natural grass pitch. And before we got the approval ahead of the new season, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the NPFL charged Kwara FA to ensure everything was in order, instead of them sending an external inspection team. It was a pressure we had to deal with, as the whole thing will bounce back to us.

“If football is not being run as it should, the pressure will be on the FA, and by extension, the teams involved, and that’s why we will not fold our hands and allow those who are anti-football to kill our dreams.

Fondly referred to as Thuraya, the FA Chairman added that: “Football gives us extra-ordinary mileage, and if Kwara United did not play in front of its fans, its we the stakeholders that will continue to lose, not those who play squash, badminton and other sports. We are more concerned than anyone else”.