President of the Somali Football Federation (SFF) Abdiqani Said Arab says his country will seek to play its home games in Mogadishu starting in 2018.
“The situation in the country is changing, and we are moving from the long-standing lawlessness to peace and stability. Due to the betterment of the security situation in Somalia, we have decided to stage our home games at home” Arab said in a statement.
“Somali people have the right to watch their national team play at home and we have to make that happen now that the country is going ahead. 2018 will be a year of a big change for Somalia as we plan to invite national teams from some east African countries for friendly matches” he added.
The SFF president said the federation would first invited East African teams for friendly games with the Somali national team, before bidding for regional tournaments like the Council for East African and Central Africa Football (CECAFA).
Somalia hosted its last international game in 1988.
The Horn of African nation has been rid by an Islamist insurgency from al-Shabaab, which has killed thousands of people and displaced millions others in a near-decade terror campaign.
