FIFA President Gianni Infantino
has described Nigeria as a country with unquantifiable passion and love for
football, and where football is more than a religion.
“I was told that in Nigeria
football is passion, but it is a lie because it is more than that. In Nigeria I
was told that football is love, but it is a lie it is more than that.
“In Nigeria, I was told that football
is a religion, but it is a lie. It is more than that. In Nigeria, football is
life,” he said in Lagos on Monday.
Infantino spoke at the maiden
edition of the AITEO-NFF Awards, which was organised by the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF).
Speaking also at the event, the
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, pledged his administration’s continued
support to football and sports in general.
“We will continue to give our
unrelenting support to football and sports in general, I want to assure the
President of FIFA that whenever he is coming back, Lagos will be considered to
host a FIFA tournament,’’ he said.
In his address, the Deputy
Managing Director of AITEO Group, Francis Peters, said the oil conglomerate was
happy to be part of football history in Nigeria in good times.
NFF president Amaju Pinnick, on
his part, said the awards night was to celebrate Nigerian legends for their
contributions to the development of football in the country.
He also said football
administration was a journey and not a destination, adding “therefore, there
must be a conscious effort to minimise errors for fear of losing the
opportunity.
“In Nigeria, football is a way of
life and everybody is a coach. So, we need to be very careful. Football teaches
us ethics and how to live a normal life,” Pinnick said.
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