For the first time in more than 5 years, Somali youths in the lawlesscapital have got the chance to compete in football competitionsmarking on the Muslim Holly month of Ramadan with the assistance fromSomali Football Federation.

Islamists in Somalia banned the RamadanCups in 2006. Some of the Ramadan football competitions were held in the Al-shabaababandoned parts of the capital including the northeastern districts ofMogadishu where the heaviest armed confrontations were taking placefor the past two years.

On Friday afternoon the last match of the Ramadan footballcompetitions was held at the open ground in the Siimanka neighborhoodin the Wadajir district southwest of the capital Mogadishu. The hotly-contested final match between Qaalib and Danwadaagaha endedin 1-0 in favor of Qaalib boys.

 The sole goal was from a penalty kickin the 47th minute of the second half of the match. Somali Football federation authorities and lawmakers from the Somalifederal parliament were watching Friday’s final match. At the end ofthe match a small conclusion ceremony was held at the Siimanka villagestadium.

Somali Football Federation president Said Mahmoud Nur who addressed atthe conclusion ceremony said that the Ramadan competitions were takingplace at 43 small stadiums in the capital Mogadishu.

“We are very proud of what we have done last month, because 17,200{seventeen thousand two hundred} young boys took part in the Ramadancompetitions—this is part of our policy to turn the attention of allSomali youths to football” the president said adding that only at theSiimanka stadium 560 players were representing 28 teams who took partin the tournament.

 He noted that the Somali Football Federation is committed toincreasing youth influence in football in a bid to protect youths fromtaking up arms, using drugs or falling into other kinds of crimes.

Somali lawmaker Omar Mohamed Mahmoud who addressed at the ceremony forhis part said that Somali football Federation was playing a big rolein peace building through football for peace activities and thatSomali government was fully satisfied with such positive initiatives.

It was in 2006 when Ramadan competitions stopped in Somalia after theUnion of Islamic courts who were ruling most of the country at thattime banned all sporting activities in the country and in particularlytermed football as ‘a satanic act’, but the Somali football Federationwas continuing its activities in any way although the Ramdan Cupsstopped at all.

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