Spanish La Liga giant, FC Barcelona, and Sri Lankan government, have agreed to partner Nigeria on football and cricket development, respectively.
These were part of the benefits from Nigeria’s participation at the 2023 World Football Summit in Seville, Spain.
The Sri Lankan government is partnering Nigeria in the development of cricket and hockey, while Barcelona Innovation Hub registered its readiness to collaborate with Nigeria in the areas of football education and training.
Nigeria’s delegation to the World Football Summit, led by the minister of sports development, Senator John Owan Enoh, after fruitful engagements with Sri Lankan officials, revealed that the South Asian nation will offer technical support for the growth of cricket and hockey in Nigeria.
Sri Lanka has steadily ranked amongst top nations in cricket globally, since 1965, when it joined the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The South Asian country won ICC World Cup champions in 1996 and emerged runners-up in 2007 and 2011.
In the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka were champions in 2014 and finished runners-up in 2009 and 2002. The nation sits in history as six-time champions of Asia, 2002 Asian Test winners, and gold medalists in cricket during the 2014 Asian Games.
In a similar vein, Barca Innovation Hub, a sports innovation and education outfit owned and operated by La Liga giants, FC Barcelona, expressed its readiness to partner with Nigeria through its football federation.
The Hub is known for its expertise in coaching education, sports nutrition, sports analytics, sports business, science, as well as related technology and innovation.
Senator Enoh, in a statement issued by his media aide, Kola Daniel, on Saturday, said Nigeria was excited about the prospects of the collaborations, which are part of the outcomes from the country’s participation in one of football showpiece gatherings in Spain.
He said the Sports Ministry will keenly pursue the dividends of the meetings, with measurable deliverables placed on specific timelines.