There were strong indications that Fifa may have picked Warri as one of the centers for the cadet World cup.NNews filtered in on Thursday that the city was one of the Nigerian cities world football governing body selected for the FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled for Nigeria this October.

"FIFA's choice of Warri cannot be misplaced," Solomon Ogba swiftly reacted.

The immediate past sports commissioner in Delta State is an adviser to the LOC, Warri sub-seat.

"Remember that FIFA's Jack Warner said that on completion, Warri would only be second to the Abuja Stadium. You can see how that is playing out now. And truly, you need a visit to Warri to agree with FIFA. It is only in Warri that you have four standard turfs for training, two of them are artificial and two natural pitches. It is only in Warri (outside Abuja) that you have four VIP suites for entertainment. The Warri stadium has been upgraded to a 30,000 all covered sitting complex. The stadium is being powered by 1000 KV generators. The flood light provided was more than what FIFA recommended. FIFA recommended 1,200 lux but we have 1,400 lux. The medical facilities in Warri were second to none. They were the best according to FIFA findings.

I therefore commend FIFA for selecting Warri on merit and I want to assure them and all in the FIFA family that Warri will stage such a successful event that will be the pride of all especially the passionate Nigerian soccer enthusiasts and fans."

FIFA already knows the six cities and have passed the information to the Nigerian authorities who could feel free to formally announce them. Abuja, Warri, Lagos and Ijebu-Ode soared above others. "It feels great to note that Warri has been highly rated," Amaju Pinnick, the chairman of Delta Sports Commission said yesterday.

"I want to thank the Governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, for creating the environment that has won Warri this high ranking. We also know what Warri is in terms of football followership. I think that we are on track. And the game has just begun."