Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
The Rivers State Government says Real Madrid Football Academy is now 75 per cent completed.
The Commissioner for Sports Rivers State Boma Iyaye stated this during an event in Port Harcourt.
He said the academy was initiated to boost football development in the country and in Africa.
He noted that the Real Madrid Academy will be functional by April 2019.
The commissioner revealed that the project was not to score a political point but to make Rivers State the hub of football development in Africa.
BOMA IYAYE while also addressing nine coaches of the academy that was sent to Spain for training appealed to the coaches to be good ambassadors of Rivers State while in Madrid.
He urged the coaches to be disciplined while in Spain and also charged them to focus on their training and seminars.
Iyaye reminded the coaches that the training is not a guarantee for employment stating that the State Government will drop any coach that is found wanting in character.
The Rivers State Commissioner for Sports also commended Governor Nyesom Wike for his vision in initiating the Real Madrid Academy project noting that the academy will serve as a breeding group of football talent in Nigeria and Africa.
Correspondent reports that the coaches will spend two weeks in Spain for their training.
In the meantime, the Project Coordinator of the Real Madrid Football Academy and one of the selected coaches, ELDRED SUNJI ABBEY said the coaches will do their best to get the best of knowledge during the training in Spain.
He said that the coaches are determined to make the academy the best in Africa.
Another selected coach for the trip and former Captain of the defunct Sharks football club of Port Harcourt Odinga Odinga said the coaches will do their best to get the best of knowledge in Spain so as to impact the same on the kids that will enroll in the academy.
