State chapters of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria in the South East zone on Saturday condemned a piece of action by the Anambra Football Association.
The body said it was unhappy that the act frustrated the hosting of a pre-season football tournament in the state.
The South East SWAN’s stand was stated in a communiqué signed by Anthony Oji, Tunde Liadi and Cosmas Egba.
It was issued after the quarterly zonal congress of the association, held in Umuahia, Abia State.
The communiqué also urged governments in the states to provide secretariats/offices for the SWAN chapters in their state and ensure richer collaboration.
It will be recalled that Anambra FA stopped the pre-season event from holding at the last minute on two occasions, in August and September, with no explanation given for the act.
Majority of stakeholders in the state’s football community had lambasted the FA over the act.
The statement by SWAN said: “Rather than being a stumbling block, the FA should encourage such competition in view of the immense benefits for the growth of the game and unity of clubs in the South East and South South.
“South East SWAN advises that such a competition should be encouraged, as it will foster unity among the participating teams as well as help in their preparations ahead of the new season.”
The zonal group expressed concerns over the dwindling fortunes of sports in the zone, as reflected in the states’ poor performance at national competitions and their inability to host national competitions.
The body however commended the efforts of the Abia State Government for its modest efforts at developing sports.
It also praised the Imo State Government for setting up a well-structured Sports Development Commission.
It said: “SWAN South East urges governors in the zone to brace up to enhancing sports development, because there is a need for this based on the poor performance of states in the zone at the National Sports Festivals (NSFs) and National Youth Games (NYGs).
“SWAN South East lauds the Abia state government for its giant strides in sports development, especially as it is sponsoring at least four different clubs at various levels of the domestic league.”
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