Somali Football Federation | Activity Magazine
SOMALIA INAUGURATES FIRST EVER REGIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
T
he launch of the first ever regional football league in the country’s football history, has realized one of the long-standing dreams of Somali Football Federation. The first regional soccer league was successfully opened in the key port city of Kismayo, about 500 kilometers south of the capital Mogadishu on 29th of December 2016. Kismayo is the provincial capital of the semiautonomous Somali State of Jubbaland. The inauguration of the regional football leagues was one of several development initiatives announced by Somali Football Federation
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president, Abdiqani Said Arab during his post election address on 31st of August 2014. The inaugural edition of the regional football league gathered 8 football teams which are representing cities and towns in the three regions that the Jubbaland state is made of and will be followed by other leagues to be held in other semiautonomous Somali states. Dowlada Hoose football club took on their Koban FC rivals in the inaugural match which attracted the attention of thousands of spectators including key government officials and football federation leaders. Both teams
Somali Football Federation | Activity Magazine
struggled to secure a win, but the match finally ended in draw 2-2. Jubbaland State vice president, Abdulkader Haji Mahmoud Lugadheere, Somali FA senior vice president, Ali Abdi Mohamed, regional state minister for youth and sport Mohamed Mahmoud Yusuf, SFF education officer, Ali Mohamed Amed and Jubbaland State football Association president, Ahmed Farah Taqal were among several officials who watched Thursday’s inaugural match. Jubbaland State vice president, Abdulkader Haji Mahmoud Lugadheere, said it was a great honor for his state to host the inaugural tournament of regional
