Nigeria Football Association (NFA) has vowed to meet FIFA requirements in staging a successful Under-17 World Cup next year, local media reported Monday.
Football's world governing body has warned Nigeria that it must improve the state of facilities for the tournament.
"The entire nation is behind this cause," NFA Chairman, Sanni Lulu Abdullahi said. "The inspection team have given us areas where we need to improve," he said.
One suggestion from the FIFA delegates was to install artificial pitches for the event. "We hope to fix all the artificial turf in the required stadia before the World Cup and that is paramount on our minds," Lulu said.
The inspection team expressed concern about playing surfaces, scoreboards and lighting in some of the stadia and training centers.
Jack Warner, a FIFA vice president, told a foreign news media, "I am impressed with the fact that the facilities just need some renovations."
"But I am not satisfied with places where the playing field, lighting and scoreboard has to change. Those reasons are not enough for us not to consider Nigeria but it has to be done quickly," he said.
"There is still a lot of work to do and some of the facilities we have seen are not satisfactory. That is why we are coming back in May," he said.
Sanni Lulu said he is optimistic. "Warner and his crew will find us well on course with our preparations for the World Cup. I have no doubt that our local organizing committee, government at all levels and everybody concerned will do the necessary work."
But he declined to comment on the big story of recent days in Nigerian football, the departure of Super Eagles coach Berti Vogts.
Source:Xinhua
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