Senior officials of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will this week inspect proposed competition and ancillary venues in Ikenne-Remo and Sagamu as preparations intensify for the CAF African Schools Football Championship (ASFC).
The inspection visit, scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, and Wednesday, February 4, will be led by key CAF personnel across safeguarding, competition, logistics, marketing, safety and accommodation departments, alongside the Executive Director of WAFU B, Philippe Tchere.
Venues to be assessed include the Remo Stars Stadium and its training pitches in Ikenne-Remo, as well as the FC Ebedei Stadium and training facilities in Sagamu. The inspection will also cover hospitals and hotel infrastructure within both towns to ensure they meet CAF’s medical, welfare and accommodation standards.
CAF officials expected for the inspection include Omar Amr (Safeguarding), Fatima Elmissaoui (African Schools Football Championship Officer), Herve Dassoundo (Marketing & Branding), Mahmoud Amer (Travel and Logistics), Diabate Zakarhiya (Safety and Security), Hend Thabet (Travel and Accommodation) and Joshua Knipp (ASFC Competition).
Launched four years ago, the CAF African Schools Football Championship is an annual Under-15 tournament designed to drive grassroots football development while promoting education and social values across the African continent. The competition features zonal qualifiers culminating in a continental finals tournament and is open to both boys’ and girls’ teams.
The championship is backed by a $10 million investment from the Motsepe Foundation, owned by CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe. A key incentive of the tournament is its strong focus on community development, with winning teams receiving up to $300,000 earmarked strictly for infrastructural projects at their schools.
Beyond football, the ASFC integrates education and health awareness through strategic partnerships with international organizations including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), using the platform to deliver messages on child welfare, health education and safeguarding.
The most recent finals were held in Accra, Ghana, where Tanzania’s boys’ team and Ghana’s girls’ team emerged champions, underlining the tournament’s growing competitiveness and continental reach.
CAF’s inspection of facilities in Ikenne-Remo and Sagamu is seen as a critical step in determining the readiness of the venues to host future stages of the competition, with particular emphasis on player welfare, safety standards, logistics efficiency and overall event delivery.
If approved, the venues would further strengthen Nigeria’s position as a key hub for youth football development in West Africa, aligning with CAF’s broader vision of nurturing young talent while reinforcing the role of education and social responsibility through sport.