Somali Footbal Federation
Wednesday, September 09, 2015
Somalia's Ocean Stars will hold a one-month training camp in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa ahead of next month's FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 preliminary qualifiers.
The team flew to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, 8 September 2015 to fine-tune for the October 9 meeting with Niger, in the Ethiopian capital. The second leg will take place in Niamey on 13 October 2015.
Officials of the Somali Football Federation (SFF) and other stakeholders were at the Mogadishu Aden Abdulle International Airport to see-off the team.
Earlier, the team received ministerial boost at a farewell ceremony at the Lido Beach resort, south east of the capital, Mogadishu.
Somali FA president, Abdiqani Said Arab, commended the government for boosting the moral of the team, describing it as a huge encouragement for their outfit and the national team as well.
He lauded his Ethiopian counterparts for accepting to host the first leg of the preliminary round in Addis Ababa, since Somalia has yet to receive the greenlight to host international competitions.
"Our Ethiopian FA brothers will welcome our team in Addis Ababa where we will use as our home venue, because for a number of reasons Somalia is not yet ready for world class competitions. We hope that we will be able to host international competitions at home in the near future" said Said Arab.
The Ocean Stars will later be joined by four Europe-based players to wrap up preparations for the clash against Niger