By Pascal Ibe
Introduction
The Federation International Football Associations (FIFA), on 25 October this year, used an image of the Kebbi stadium project, dating back to 2023, as the new profile banner on its official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts. The image, showing a half-furnished stadium in Birnin Kebbi, quickly went viral.
Built under the FIFA Forward Programme, the stadium was meant to symbolise progress in grassroots football.
But as the photo circulated online, fans flooded social media with outrage and speculation. Some netizens interpreted FIFA’s post as a subtle jab at the NFF, following recent allegations of fund mismanagement, the Punch newspaper reported.
The photos shared online showed poor pitch conditions and substandard facilities.
The Nigerian Football Federation firmly denied any wrongdoing, explaining that every dollar received from FIFA or CAF is tied to a specific purpose and audited annually.
Claim
Also reacting to the image of the poor condition of the Kebbi stadium in circulation, a former Senator, Dino Melaye, who represented Kogi West in the Nigerian Senate, shared a merged image of the Kebbi stadium and a stadium in Kenya.
Melaye claimed that FIFA gave Nigeria $1.2 million and they gave Kenya $1.2 million to build the stadiums in their countries.
The former senator said that the goal was for both countries to build stadiums for football development. “Our moral fabrics is gone, we celebrate rogues, we honor thieves. Up APC”
The claim made on 26 October has since generated over 560k views with more than 2k reposts on the X platform.
Verifying the claim
First, FACTWATCH Nigeria did an Image Reverse Search on Google Lens and confirmed that both stadiums were in Nigeria and Kenya as Melaye claimed.
However, while the Kebbi stadium was funded by FIFA, we found out that the Kenya stadium, known as Talanta Stadium, is still under construction, and is a project funded by the Kenyan government.
In a statement released in 2024, by Kenya’s Ministry of Defense, which oversees the Talanta Stadium project, it stated that President William Ruto, during an inspection tour of the Talanta Sports City construction, expressed satisfaction with the advancements, affirming his confidence that the stadium will meet its completion deadline of December 2025.
Radar Africa reported in May this year that Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) approved a plan to raise Sh47 billion to fund the ongoing construction of the Talanta Sports Stadium in Nairobi.
The stadium is one of Kenya’s major projects in preparation for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which Kenya will co-host with Tanzania and Uganda. The fundraising will be done through the capital market.
The stadium, known officially as Talanta Sports City, is being built at Jamhuri Grounds along Ngong Road, about 10 kilometers from Nairobi’s city centre. The planned capacity for the stadium is 60,000 spectators. It is designed mainly for football and rugby events, as it will not have an athletics track. However, the government said nearby fields will be developed to support athletics activities.
The East Leigh Voice, an online newspaper in Kenya, reported in early October, that the Talanta Stadium, the main venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), is now 61 per cent complete, according to the Government Delivery Unit (GDU), following a recent inspection of the ongoing works in Nairobi.
Verdict
Findings have indicated that the Kenyan stadium is being funded by the government and NOT FIFA. Therefore, the claim by Melaye is MISLEADING.
