Premier League striker enters F1 world by fronting shock bid for brand spanking new race in Africa
Ex-Bolton star Marvin Sordell is main Nigeria's efforts to host a Components 1 race as they be part of the rising checklist of countries who need to strike a take care of the FIA
Nigeria has develop into the newest African nation to come back ahead and categorical a want to host an F1 race with ex-Premier League frontman and Olympian Marvin Sordell fronting their bid.
F1 presently visits each liveable continent bar Africa, the place it hasn't been for the reason that South African Grand Prix in 1993 at Kyalami. There’s a rising want to return nonetheless and South Africa, Morocco and Rwanda have all come ahead and expressed an intention to bid..
Now Nigeria has joined with Opus Race Promotions eyeing a brand new circuit within the capital of Abuja, alongside a karting observe, lodges and a motorsport museum. Former Burnley and Bolton ahead Sordell, who additionally performed for Nice Britain on the Olympics in London, is co-chief government of the promotional firm
They’ve been formally appointed to barter on behalf of the Nigerian authorities with F1 and the FIA. The bid has “early assist” from the Nigerian authorities, claims The Instances.
F1 chief government Stefano Domenicali has been invited to go to Abuja to check out the venture. He has admitted this season that talks are ongoing concerning a race in Africa however added: "I don't suppose we're going to have an end result within the very quick time period."
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Shehu Dikko, chairman of the Nationwide Sports activities Fee in Nigeria, stated: “We’re exploring all potentialities to convey Components 1 to Nigeria as quickly as practicable.
“Not simply as a sporting occasion, however as a catalytic driver of tourism, infrastructure growth, youth engagement, economic system and certainly smooth energy for Nigeria. This imaginative and prescient aligns with the Renewed Hope and Shared Prosperity imaginative and prescient of our president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
South Africa was the final African nation to host a significant international occasion throughout any sport when it had the World Cup again in 2010, which was received by Spain. Africa has by no means had the Olympics, however considered one of its nations does host the Africa Cup of Nations, so can have expertise in placing on a significant occasion.
Lewis Hamilton has been amongst these continually pushing for the game to return to Africa and stated final 12 months: "We are able to't be including races in different places and persevering with to disregard Africa, which the remainder of the world simply takes from. Nobody provides something to Africa.
"There's an enormous quantity of labor must be performed there. I believe quite a lot of the world that haven't been there don't realise how stunning the place is, how huge it’s. And possibly they don't even know what the nations are doing nonetheless to these locations by way of holding again."