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Foreign footballers pouring into Somalia prior to top league opening

Storyline:Sports

Foreign players brought in by Banadir Sports Club

The increase of foreign football professionals in Somalia is seen as a ‘significant’ mark for soccer progression in the country.

For the first time in Somalia’s football history, last year the country’s Nation Link Telecom championship attracted at least 8 foreign players, and the current champions Banadir Sports Club were recognized as the pioneers for transferring foreign players.

But now with more than a month to go since the beginning of the country’s top football league, the number of foreign players in the country increased, as more clubs transferred foreign players from different African Countries.

“The show up of foreign players in the country is very noteworthy—some six clubs in the national league have transferred more players, so this is a remarkable progress for Somalia which is now recovering from decades-long anarchy” Somali Football Federation Media Officer Shafi’i Mohyaddin Abokar (ISLOW) said in a press statement on Sunday.

He said that the appearance of international professionals in Somali league was also an outstanding marketing step for the country whose football has mainly been dependent on the financial assistance from FIFA.

The statement went on to say that the lawless atmosphere in Somalia was preventing the country from attracting international sponsors, but now that the situation is returning to normal the SFF and its clubs were eying on local and international sponsorships.

“Somali football is now recuperating from the wounds caused by the lack of stability we experienced for dozens of years and the path for more progress has now reopened” SFF Media Officer Shafi’i Mohyaddin Abokar (ISLOW) explained in his press statement.

Below is the names of foreign players in the country, the clubs they joined and as well as their countries.

HEEGAN FC: Mohamed Zubairu (Nigeria), Samsoniyke Chukwu (Nigeria)

GAADIIDKA: Lehman Meheso Mwenza (Kenya)

SAHAFI FC: Ambrose Mumo kula kalatai (Kenya)

ELMAN FC: Elungat Martin, (Uganda) Ntaabazi Mubiru Eddie (Uganda) and Mugsha Ivan (Uganda).

DEKADDA: Zubeir Yossuf Oduori (Kenya) OKoro Mattias Ogbokiri (Nigeria)

BANADIR SPORTS CLUB: Marcel Odhambo Oyugi (Kenya) Thomas Mwancu Cuihobi

(Kenya) and Mustapha .I. Maxwell (Nigeria).