Why Nigeria Should Host 2038 World Cup in conjunction with Ghana and Cameroon
With Fifa looking to make the 2030 World Cup a 64-team tournament, Nigeria should be looking to cash in on this by hosting the 2038 event in conjunction with Ghana and Cameroon
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I have always a subscriber to the big bang theory. I have always maintained that Nigeria needs a big launching pad to revive its economic fortunes
In 1977, we hosted Festac and believe you me, it put Nigeria on the world map. It attracted investors, and as we speak, all the infrastructure like the National Theatre and Festac Town are still standing
Kenneth Kaunda once said: “Sports is power.” What he meant was that success in sports has the opportunity to open up openings for the betterment of society. Nigeria needs to start understanding this
Having seen how the 2022 World Cup provided Qatar with a big boost, one cannot deny the power of hosting global sporting tournaments. I can also see Mexico attracting a lot of investors and tourists over the coming months
In 1977, everyone wanted to be associated with Nigeria, and every known black American traced their roots back to Nigeria. Everyone, including Mohammed Ali and Pele, traced their roots back to Nigeria
Nigeria should submit a bid in conjunction with Ghana and Cameroon to host the 2038 World Cup. They will provide Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Yaounde, Douala, and Garoua, while Nigeria will provide 20 other stadia
We will upgrade our stadia at Onikan, Surulere, Remo, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Benin, Warri, Asaba, Enugu, Owerri, Awka, Abakaliki, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Uyo, Abuja, Katsina, Jos, Ilorin and Makurdi. We should make them all 80,000-seater stadiums. We can attract private sector capital to do this as they did in Qatar
We want to use hosting the World Cup to attract investors to develop our cities. Fifa insists that all host cities must be accessible by road, rail and air, so Nigeria will be looking to significantly expand the infrastructure in about 18 of her cities
We should also try to win the tournament when we host it. Brazil plays Samba Football, the Dutch gave us Total Football, and Spain gave us Tika-Taka. I believe it is time for Palm Wine Football to make its way up there with them. Nigerian football is based on pace, quick counter-attacks, physicality, and athleticism, and it is now time to turn this into a global brand
Back in the 1990s, when the likes of Okocha, Kanu, Findi, Taribo, Amokachi, Oliseh, et al wooed the world, it was common to see our green-white-green jerseys being worn by Europeans. This will fund our football development. We need an appealing kit that fans will be happy to go out and purchase. Personally, I would go for a unique green version of Croatia’s jersey. Make it our iconic kit
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