n the end, they were just a few
minutes shy of a huge upset,
However, So malia’s ultimately
unsuccessful bid to advance
in the World Cup qualifiers has
emboldened the war-torn country
to set a more ambitious footballing course.
Somalia met Zimbabwe over two legs in September
for a place in the group phase of Africa’s preliminaries
for the 2022 finals. And after a famous victory in
neighbouring Djibouti, where they hosted the game
due to a lack of infrastructure and security in their
own country, they were on the verge of a massive
upset in the return with five minutes left to play.
Zimbabwe took 77 minutes to equalise on
aggregate but Omar Mohamed’s goal in the 85th
minute put Somalia back ahead on aggregate and
gave them a vital away goal. But needing to score
twice in the last four minutes to avoid a calamitous
exit, a panicked Zimbabwe did exactly that for a 3-1
victory on the night and a 3-2 win on aggregate.
Yet for Somalia the experience was full of positives
and Somali Football Federation (SFF) president
Abdiqani Said says his country now hopes to host
matches by next year.
Somalia’s national team has not played a home
game since October 1986 and a brutal civil war has
left the nation devastated, with the main stadium in
Mogadishu used for many years to park tanks andmilitary vehicles of the African Union peacekeepers.
With peace largely restored and a semblance of
normality returning, things are looking up. Airlines
now fly into the capital and a small number of foreign
players and coaches are playing for Somali clubs.
There is no actual ban on foreign teams playing in
Somalia – unlike FIFA restrictions on Libya – but the
Somali federation has not pressed for international
games to be played in the country.
Two months ago, for the first time in 29 years,
clubs from Somalia were entered in the African
Champions League and African Confederation Cup
but they forfeited home advantage, playing both legs
of their ties away at the ground of their opponents.
According to Said, two stadia are being renovated
in anticipation of hosting home games next year:
one is a 10,000-seater and the other has a 15,000
capacity. The new Somali league, which started in
October, is also being televised for the first time.
While these are seen as small steps in a long-term
project, the exploits of the national team have caused
a massive injection of enthusiasm.
With Somalia actively looking to the large diaspora,
players such as 29-year-old Italian-born defender
Abel Gigli, whose parents hail from Somalia, was
called up for the World Cup qualifiers.
“The joy that I heard in my mother’s voice after
the victory over Zimbabwe and the emotion of an
entire country that struck us after a historic enterprise
I will never forget,”
says Gigli.
“In Somalia, and for
Somalis around the
world, they literally
went crazy.”Underdogs miss out
But narrow World Cup exit brings new hope for minnows
players in a Euro 2020 qualifier in
Sofia on 15 October. The game was
stopped twice and could have been
abandoned, but England played on
and won 6-0. The second game of
this latest punishment is suspended
for two years.
MEXICO: After 14 months, 41
games and six coaches, Veracruz
finally win a league game, beating
Puebla 1-0 in the Liga MX Apertura.
Despite their victory, the team –
who earlier this month protested
about unpaid wages by standing
still for the first three minutes of
a match against Tigres – remain
bottom of the table.
Wednesday October 30
ENGLAND: Championship club
Derby County sack captain Richard
Keogh for gross misconduct over
his involvement in a car crash that
led to the arrest of team-mates
Mason Bennett and Tom Lawrence,
who pleaded guilty to drink-driving.
FRANCE: Nantes equal a club
WORLD SERVICEWinner...Colin Kazim Richards
(number nine) of VeracruzI
Winning start...Genoa
get the better of Brescia
(in white)Hopeful...
Somalia fans“The joy that I heard in my mother’s voice after
the victory over Zimbabwe...I will never forget”
Somalia defender Abel GigliSomalia
MARK GLEESON