BY OKEY NDIRIBE, Abuja

The Abuja National Stadium has been endorsed as a venue for future friendly matches by English Premier League side, Arsenal Football Club for the excellent facilities available within the sporting complex.

This endorsement was given yesterday in Abuja by Angus Kinnear, the Marketing Director for the English club after inspecting facilities at the stadium as part of an assessment trip by the club to identify venues where the club could play pre-season friendly matches against Nigerian club sides next year.

According to Kinnear: “The first impression really counts. We saw on our arrival strong football passion, values and tradition. We are very excited about the facilities we have seen”.

Arsene Wenger Photo: Arsenal.com

The Arsenal official further stated that the delegation was impressed with the club’s fan base in the country.

Paul Johnson, the First Team Travel and Equipment Manager for the team and also a member of the delegation corroborated what Kinnear said. In his own words: “The facilities we saw were first class”.

In his response to the remarks made by the Arsenal delegation which is scheduled to leave for Port-Harcourt today, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretary General Mr Musa Ahmadu hailed the Management of Arsenal for its adoption of a youth recruitment system for the first team.

Said he: “I wish to assure you that you will get the largest support from the NFF and your Nigerian supporters”.

He praised the strategy that has been adopted for managing the club by its Coach Arsene Wenger adding that the trip would provide a strong platform between the NFF and Arsenal.

He expressed NFF’s readiness to welcome Arsenal to play friendlies against Nigerian club sides next year.

The Arsenal delegation is expected to also inspect facilities at the Liberation Stadium, Port-Harcourt, today. If endorsed, the Rivers State Capital may also be selected as a venue for the team’s friendlies in Nigeria next year.

The delegation  also  paid a courtesy visit to the Secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation, commending the huge following that the Club commands in Nigeria – which could be the largest in any other country in the world apart from England.

NFF’s Acting General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu received the delegation and informed the Arsenal delegation that football is an intense passion in Nigeria which some commentators even elevate to a religion at times.

Amadu said: “I heartily welcome you to our great football country, a nation of 167 million passionate football fans who come together and identify with themselves much better when the issue on the table is the round leather game.