The Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports responsible for civic education and civic construction, Amadou Diarra Yalcouyé, the President of the Malian Football Federation, Mamoutou Touré di Bavieux and the head of FIFA’s Forward Program with of the Malian Football Federation, Aguibou Bah, visited on Wednesday March 8, 2023 the construction site of the Femafoot Technical Center located in Sénou in the airport area. According to the Architect, Soumaïla Boubacar Maïga, the site is 32% complete for a consumed time of 270 days out of 540 days planned..
During the guided tour, we learn that the Technical Center is built on an area of 20 hectares of which 10 hectares are occupied for the construction of infrastructures which are, among others, 3 football pitches (including 2 with natural grass and a synthetic grass) ; a 4-star hotel (6 levels) with 40 rooms for the accommodation of first team players, administrative and technical blocks; dormitories; locker rooms; the headquarters of the national technical directorate; a dining room, swimming pools, a training room, a gym, an amphitheater, a weight room, a fitness room with swimming pool, housing for executives, an infirmary, and other facilities such as the office entrances with scanner, internal and external car parks. The site is 32% complete for a consumed time of 270 days out of the 540 days planned. The architect, Soumaïla Boubacar Maïga, said that for the construction of the 3 pitches, his company is taking advantage of the experience of the International Federation of Football Association (Fifa). This means that the infrastructure will meet FIFA standards with a ten-year guarantee. Said grounds will be of the latest generation and uniformly watered.
At the end of the visit, the project manager of the site, Aguibou Bah (head of FIFA’s Forward Program with the Malian Football Federation) confided that: “The Technical Center will serve, among other things, as a training environment for beginner footballers, a place of improvement for football executives. Because football is not only those who play football. Football is a whole environment including those who animate the Administration, sports doctors, referees, coaches, etc. Everyone needs to be perfected. In addition, the Center will house an Academy to accommodate 104 talented young people (girls and boys) through national detection. Through this detection, the best of the best will be housed and trained at center level to serve the football of tomorrow.” He informed that the center is financed from FIFA’s Forward fund. “Fifa is funding the construction of the center. Femafoot only signs documents. The funds are directly transferred to the accounts of the companies which will be validated by Fifa”he specified.
The President of the Malian Football Federation said he was satisfied with the progress of the project, the execution rate of which varies between 30 and 40%. He said that the center will be ambitious with modern infrastructure and it has a football academy for the training and supervision of young people who will be detected to constitute its first elements. For this, he asked for the commitment of all Malians so that Mali can achieve convincing and enviable results. For the Academy to work well, he suggested the proper training and mentoring of young talents. Because, he argued, the Academy will belong to all the young people of Mali. “Mali was fortunate to have title to the Centre. And this, thanks to the Minister of Sports, Moussa Ag Attaher. He thanked the Secretary General of the department for this approach which made it possible to start the construction of the center which will have all the conveniences and modern equipment. The Center will enable Mali to benefit from modern and comfortable facilities. And all this, thanks to the complicity of Fémafoot and the Sports Department”did he declare.
The Secretary General of the Sports Department, Amadou Diarra Yalcouyé, affirmed the commitment of his Minister, Moussa Ag Attaher, to accompany the Malian Football Federation for the acquisition of the 20 hectares of the Center which is in line with the National Sports Policy. “Minister Moussa Ag Attaher has made every effort to acquire the plot. Because he believed in the project for the promotion of high-level football in order to avoid the blocked internships of national football teams abroad. The center project is relevant. The construction site has progressed at an appreciable level. With the completion of the project, the dream of Malian football is coming true. The construction site of the center belongs to Fémafoot. The realization of the project will meet expectations for the development of high-level football in Mali. It will save on the costs of internships abroad. It is a project of general interest for the Department of Sports. And all the credit goes to the Femafoot which is to be congratulated for the realization of the Center”, he said. As a reminder, the laying of the first stone of the Technical Center took place on Thursday, February 25, 2021 respectively by the President of Fifa, Gianni Infantino (who was on a 48-hour working visit to our country ), the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mossa Ag Attaher, and the president of the Malian Football Federation, Mamoutou Touré “Bavieux”.
Siaka DOUMBIA
