NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has provided an update on the NFF-FIFA Forward project.
The project, which had its groundbreaking ceremony in March this year, is located at the Goal Project section of Package B of the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
It will feature a hostel facility for the national teams as well as two football pitches — one natural turf and one synthetic turf.
Gusau explained that the project is essential to reducing the federation’s heavy expenditure on accommodation for players and officials.
“A lot of resources that come into the federation from our little sources of revenue, almost 80 to 90 percent of it, go to hotel accommodation for our teams,” he said.
“This obviously makes it very difficult for us to attend to other issues such as players’ allowances and coaches’ welfare.”
He added that the federation’s aim is to ensure the players have the best possible preparation environment before any tournament.
“One of the key priorities for us is to make sure that we have a conducive camping environment for the players before you think of other things,” Gusau noted.
He also admitted that the lack of such facilities in Nigeria is a source of concern when compared to other footballing nations.
“When you go to other countries that are not even at Nigeria’s level, and you see their projects where they accommodate and camp their players, you feel ashamed as a Nigerian,” he stated.
The project is expected to be completed within two years, with Gusau stressing that it was long overdue.
