Funds For Somali Female Footballers Stolen

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‘No idea where money goes’: Fifa urged to help Somalia’s women footballers

Fifa funds for women’s football are alleged not to be reaching their target, with fear of extremists said to be the reason


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The head of women’s football in Somalia has urged Fifa to take action after claiming money made available by the world governing body to support the women’s game in her country is not reaching its intended target.

Shaima Mohamed, who has been almost single-handedly pushing the cause of women’s football in one of the world’s most volatile nations, told the Guardian: “I have no idea where the money goes.”

Every national federation is entitled to money from Fifa, with $100,000 of the $500,000 available for operational costs ringfenced for women’s football, while additional money is available for travel to women’s tournaments and for special projects which can be related to women’s football. The Somali federation has not responded to requests for comment.

Mohamed believes federation members are unwilling to back the women’s game because they fear extremists who oppose it. “[They] would have sat down and talked about it and I think they are scared for their lives,” she said. “But they are also responsible to help Fifa’s vision for women’s football.”

The women’s football department at the Somali FA is in effect inactive. Mohamed said the federation gave her an official title but turned down her request for an office, equipment and a rent-free field for training. Girls and women continue to play, notably at the Golden Club academy in Mogadishu, which Mohamed founded and runs.


“We do fundraising to support the teams,” she said. “We do social media campaigns. We get contributions from the community but we don’t have a specific budget that comes to us every year. I have no idea where the money goes. I have no idea if the federation has sent details of my role and information to Fifa. We need formal recognition for Somalia women’s football.”

She called on Fifa to step in. “They should do more to ensure we are receiving our funding,” she said. “Fifa needs to do more accountability with every federation in Africa to see if the women’s funding is being spent on women’s football or something else.

“Fifa could also do more by improving direct communications with the women’s football department. I understand the federation can’t do much for women’s department since they are scared for their lives but they can give us a little support until we can stand on our feet because we are willing to take the risk and we are ready to fight for what we want.”

A Fifa source told the Guardian that it had been made aware of the issues and would be making efforts to meet Mohamed to discuss the situation.

“A small amount of the SFFs Forward funds have been used in the 2016-18 cycle for women’s football and women’s refereeing in the region,” Fifa said. “But we expect a greater commitment to be made in the new year with a dedicated Forward project for women’s football. We also understand that the SFF will appoint a new team to advance women’s football in Somalia. To that end the FIFA Regional Development Office in Addis Ababa will meet with the SFF soon to discuss the SFF’s plans.”

It said its commitment globally to women’s and girls’ football was demonstrated by a 20% increase in its Forward development fund for 2019-2022 to $6m, which includes “a total investment of at least $150,000 per year per member association dedicated exclusively to women’s football development”, in addition to funding available through infrastructure and travel budgets.

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Golden Club academy players. ‘We use football to fight early marriage and to fight for women’s rights in society,’ said Shaima Mohamed. Photograph: Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images

Mohamed’s frustrations were encapsulated after Golden Club were invited to send a team to the Human Rights Cup in South Africa last month to represent Somalia. “We couldn’t make it because we lacked financial support from both the federation, where the women’s department is not active, and the government. We trained for months to prepare for the cup. We were so disappointed. Discrimination holds us back.”

Mohamed, who grew up in Kenya, has been battling to establish women’s football in Somalia since she moved back in 2015, aged 19. “There were no women playing football so I decided to form a group I could play with,” she said. “It became an organisation. I had to open up an academy so that more girls could be inspired and empowered.”

Initial approaches to the Somali FA for support had been promising. “At first the president of the federation welcomed me. He took me to the African football symposium on women’s football in Morocco earlier in 2018. It was the first time a woman from Somalia had attended such a conference.”

On her return she says things changed: “I was given the official title of head of the women’s department. I asked for an office, equipment, a place to work, but the president told me to focus on the academy until people get used to what I am doing.

“I approached him again and asked for a field to train the girls because there is a lack of fields or stadiums available to women. I asked him to give us time for training and he said the country is not safe enough and said we should rent another field and they will pay for it, except that didn’t last. It felt like they didn’t want to give us help.”

Golden Club continues to thrive despite the difficulties. “There are a lot of young girls that are so talented but it can be hard for them since they don’t have the self-confidence to come out and play football because they feel scared of society. After I created the first women’s football club in Somalia I learned that football can play an important role to help women and girls build their self-confidence.”

The civil war and the presence of groups such as al-Shabaab harmed men’s football too. “The extremists didn’t allow men to play football. Sometimes they used to play in a tribalism way – one tribe would play another. Now youth are engaged, there are leagues and they have even started to participate in international tournaments.”
What keeps Mohamed going is her passion for the game and determination to do something positive for girls who contact her. “But I can’t even offer the financial support in my city, let alone go to another region. The change that needs to be made is we need fields that will be secure for the girls and we need awareness.

“Women’s football is more than just sport. We use football to fight early marriage and to fight for women’s rights in society. This is important for so many girls and women in Somalia. I am fighting for their future and I will never give up.”

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...malia-women-footballers-money-fear-extremists
 
Thats terrible, what are they going to use to by diana products now:gucciwhat:

@kickz

They are saying there are cultural constraints for girls playing sports and especially soccer, they are not allowed and argue that they should never play the sport and as @government alluded to, the money should be spent on the boys.


Golden Club score a breakthrough for gender equality in Somalia.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - On a tired artificial pitch near a Mogadishu street that has been hit with a series of explosions, Shaima Sallal Mohamed is tackling the stereotype that soccer in Somalia is only for men.

The football fan is player and coach of the all-female Golden Club, which she founded after spending a fruitless year trying to find a place to play when she returned home from Kenya in 2015.

“In Somali culture, women are not allowed to play football,” the 24-year-old Mohamed told Reuters.

“The society does not believe that women can participate in general sports. There is only one or two basketball women teams. Same with handball. Women are not encouraged to play.”

more on;

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-s...-for-gender-equality-in-somalia-idUKKCN1MD1OV
 

Muji

VIP
Lol the only women not wearing the hijabis are Afghans now that’s a surprise.

Aussie I loved playing football growing up. I was very good at it too and could have made it professional, but when you’re a xalimo you’re not really pushed. As for the money the amount of politicians with an expanded waist size is abundant. Strange for a famished country.
 

TekNiKo

“I am an empathic and emotionally-aware person.
VIP
This is ridiculous, even the mens team barely gets any funds. Corruption is not misogynist and affects all.
 
Lol the only women not wearing the hijabis are Afghans now that’s a surprise.

Aussie I loved playing football growing up. I was very good at it too and could have made it professional, but when you’re a xalimo you’re not really pushed. As for the money the amount of politicians with an expanded waist size is abundant. Strange for a famished country.

@Knowles

Damn girl, could’ve been your pimp aka agent and negotiating with major clubs. If they’ve skimmed some of the money, it’s understandable, but they took the whole $500,000 allocated for the girls. We are proud to be the most corrupt people and nation in the world.

Btw, why are women not encouraged to play sports in our culture? It seems that we’re left alone in a cultural entity akin to those during the Middle Ages. Kill, maim, raid and rob, use head human skulls as ashtrays and steal funds allocated for female sports because they shouldn’t play sports.
 
@Knowles

Damn girl, could’ve been your pimp aka agent and negotiating with major clubs. If they’ve skimmed some of the money, it’s understandable, but they took the whole $500,000 allocated for the girls. We are proud to be the most corrupt people and nation in the world.

Btw, why are women not encouraged to play sports in our culture? It seems that we’re left alone in a cultural entity akin to those during the Middle Ages. Kill, maim, raid and rob, use head human skulls as ashtrays and steal funds allocated for female sports because they shouldn’t play sports.
Only 100k is stated in the article
 
Only 100k is stated in the article

@Suldaanka

You are right, the $100,000 is strictly allocated to the girls, however they could also tap into the rest. Given that all the $100,000 has disappeared and much of the remaining $400,000 too, to fight or lower the scale of corruption in Somalia, the international community and organisations should issue a voucher system like the food voucher for poor people in America 2 Somali authorities and never to hand them cash money.
 
The Most Corrupt Countries in the World.

https://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-corrupt-countries-in-the-world/info-lists

Without clicking on the link, you know that it us in the first place who are the world champions and have been for many years now.

Why are we so corrupt?

We all push our sub-sub clan brethren to be elected and be in a position of power and if he didn't favour the members of the sub-clan and give them higher posts or employ them, or if he doesn't enrich himself, he would be seen as a fool.

Aren't we all implicated in corruption?

No wonder millions of Somalis are starving and dying of hunger and diseases and the aid sent to them by non-Muslims which was intended for these poor people are siphoned off by corrupt politicians in collusion with "God fearing" people.
 
Now, the whistle-blower fled Somalia after she was threatened with death.

Somalia Women football boss flees country after unearthing graft in local football association.

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The Head of the women football in Somalia now says her life is in danger after reporting the local football Association to FIFA for embezzling funds, prompting her to flee Mogadishu.

She wants FIFA to expedite investigations and take actions against the officials whom she says were an impediment to the growth of the game in the country.

Last month, Shaima Mohamed reached out to world football governing body to take action, claiming money made available by FIFA to support the women’s game in her country is not reaching its intended target.

She divulged to TUKO.co.ke that she has received numerous threats to her life, with some telling her to quit the sporting activity all together or face dire consequences, forcing her to flee the country.

“Ever since I raised the issue, all is not well. I have received threats. All I am looking for is money meant for our women footballers; I am not up to any witch-hunt," she disclosed.

“I can no longer stay in Mogadishu I have had leave the country for my own security, I cannot take the threats for granted given the volatile situation in the country”, she added.

She also lamented the slow pace with which FIFA had handled the matter, asserting her aggressors have now staged a coup to edge her out two years into her six-year term.

Every national federation is entitled to money from FIFA, with KSh 10 million of the KSh 50 million available for operational costs ring-fenced for women’s football.

Additional money is available for travel to women’s tournaments and for special projects related to women’s football.

The Somali federation has not responded to requests for comment. She said the federation gave her an official title but turned down her request for an office, equipment and a rent-free field for training.

Girls and women continue to play, notably at the Golden Club academy in Mogadishu, which Mohamed founded and runs. Mohamed, who grew up in Kenya, has been battling to establish women’s football in Somalia since she moved back in 2015, aged 19.

“There were no women playing football so I decided to form a group I could play with,” she said in an exclusive interview with TUKO.co.ke. “It became an organisation. I had to open up an academy so that more girls could be inspired and empowered," she added.

https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2019/...hing_graft_in_local_football_association.aspx
 

TekNiKo

“I am an empathic and emotionally-aware person.
VIP
Why do women need football? The mens football barely receives any funds themselves.

Talk about messed up priorities.
 
Why do women need football? The mens football barely receives any funds themselves.

Talk about messed up priorities.

@TekNiKo

Beggars can't be choosers, don't beg others in the pretence that you will spend their money on something and then fleece and steal it. That has been a trend for us since we gained independence. How's President Farmaajo's fake-war on corruption going? He's been at the helm for two years and Somalia has been declared the most corrupt country for both years.

Somalia declared the most corrupt country in the world: survey.

Gavin Grey | 13 days ago

LONDON - Somalia is the most corrupt country in the world, according to a new survey by a corruption watchdog.

https://ewn.co.za/2019/01/30/somalia-declared-the-most-corrupt-country-in-the-world-survey
 
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