In the wake of his arrival in Addis Ababa, CAF president Ahmad expressed gratitude to the Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn.
Desalegn has welcomed the football governing body’s boss as he emphasised their stance on football development in the continent.
However, on his part, Ahmad expressed gratitude towards his CAF delegation as he thanked Ethiopia Football Federation president, Juneidi Basha.
“I came here for two reasons; the first one is my responsibility as the president of CAF towards all the African nations,” Ahmad said.
“The second is because Ethiopia was the land where the change happened and I got my opportunity to be the CAF President in this country.
“Thank you Your Excellency. In fact, we thank you for the cooperation which will lead us to use football not only as a game but also as a tool to develop youths in our society.
“We can also consider football as an opportunity to help the plight of people.
“I have to say that I am really happy after my visit this morning to the Ethiopian Youth and Sports Academy, and as I told the Minister of Youth and Sports, this is the level of development we are looking for.
“Also, we have seen the Addis Ababa National Stadium, which is of an international level. This is a great nation and what we see nowadays indicates that Ethiopia is ready for the future.”
The CAF President also revealed that he will propose to the Executive Committee to consider naming the CAF Centre of Excellence in Ethiopia after former CAF President, Ydnekatchew Tessema.
The Ethiopian headed the continent’s football governing body between 1972 and 1987. Ethiopia is the only East African country with the capability to host the expanded 24 team Afcon.The country has seriously invested in infrastructure across the country and its people love football.
