Football

Somalia inter-state football finals postponed due to security concerns

An aerial view of Mogadishu stadium.

By Hassan Mohamed | Saturday, January 27, 2024

Inter-State final between Galmudug and Hirshabele posponed to 29 January, 2024.

Excitement for the Inter-State final between Galmudug and Hirshabele was palpable, social media alight with taunts and pleas for fans to pack the 65,000-seater Mogadishu stadium. This wasn't just a match; it was a rallying point for a nation slowly rising from the ashes of conflict. But the fever pitch would have to wait.

The Somalia Football Federation's terse statement – "Match postponed to Monday, 29 January, 3pm" – offered no explanation. Yet, a security source whispered the chilling truth: Al-Shabaab, the shadow still clinging to Somalia's rebirth, had planned a suicide attack.

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Memories of the semi-final were fresh – smoke billowing through the air as a bomb detonated outside the stadium, met by police bullets. This time, the target was grander, more devastating. Al-Shabaab aimed to infiltrate the heart of this symbol of recovery, Mogadishu Stadium.

This isn't the stadium's first dance with darkness. Captured by the Islamic Courts Union in 2006, it became Al-Shabaab's macabre playground, a base of violence eventually retaken by Somali forces and AU peacekeepers in 2011. Even then, its strategic hilltop perch made it a Ugandan base until 2018. Only in 2020, with FIFA's help, did the stadium truly rise again, its stands echoing with the joyful roar of fans reclaiming their sanctuary.

The postponement stings, but it's a necessary blow against hate. The two-day delay buys time for the government to neutralize the threat, time for the beautiful game to triumph over terror. For Somalia.

Come Monday, under the watchful gaze of a secured stadium, the stands will erupt not with fear, but with the unified roar of a nation defying the darkness.