Fact-Check: Viral Picture Comparing Birnin Kebbi Stadium and Talanta Sports Complex in Kenya is Misleading!
By Abdulraheem Muhammed
Claim: On October 25, 2025, a picture comparing the Birnin Kebbi FIFA-funded mini-stadium in Nigeria with the Talanta Sports Complex in Kenya went viral. The posts claimed that both projects received equal FIFA funding, but that the Kenyan stadium appeared more advanced in quality and design.
Verdict: Misleading!
Full Text: The Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), on October 25, 2025, used an image of the Birnin Kebbi stadium project, originally completed in 2023 as the new profile banner on its official X (formerly Twitter).
The image, which showed the half-furnished Birnin Kebbi facility, quickly sparked controversy among Nigerian social media users. Many alleged that the Kebbi State Government had mismanaged funds meant for the stadium, claiming that both Nigeria and Kenya received the same amount from FIFA’s Forward Programme but delivered projects of vastly different quality.
Prominent figures, including former Senator Dino Melaye and X user Asexual Doctor (@choji_ES), amplified the claim. Asexual Doctor’s post, captioned “Both countries received the same amount. Here is the final result,” featured the side-by-side photos of the two stadiums and garnered over 1.9 million views, 24,000 likes, and 5,400 reposts.
Similarly, Senator Dino Melaye claimed on October 26 that FIFA allocated $1.2 million each to Nigeria and Kenya for stadium construction but alleged that corruption had affected the Nigerian project. His post attracted over 576,000 views and 2,549 reposts on X.
However, official sources and verifiable documents contradict these viral claims.
Verification: A reverse image search using Google Lens confirmed that the first image was indeed the FIFA/NFF mini-stadium in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria, while the second image depicted the Talanta Sports Complex currently under construction in Nairobi, Kenya.
According to FIFA’s official website, the Birnin Kebbi project is part of the FIFA Forward Programme, which provides development funding to national football associations. A FIFA report published on May 10, 2023, titled “Nigeria gaining ground and winning hearts with FIFA Forward,” states that the Birnin Kebbi and Ugborodo (Delta State) projects jointly received around $2 million in funding through the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Contrary to online claims, the Talanta Sports Complex in Kenya is not funded by FIFA. FactCheckAfrica found that the Kenyan government, through the Linzi FinCo 003 Trust, raised KES 44.79 billion (about $340 million) via an Infrastructure Asset-Backed Securities Programme to fund the construction.
A press release dated July 2, 2025, confirmed that the funds were mobilized through private investors, including CPF Capital, Liason Financial Services, and KCB Investment Bank, and were approved by the Kenya Capital Markets Authority (CMA).
In addition, Kenya’s Ministry of Defence, which oversees the project, announced that the stadium, designed to host 60,000 spectators is a flagship project for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which Kenya will co-host with Tanzania and Uganda.
The Chairman of the Kebbi State Football Association (FA), Abubakar Ladan, clarified that the Birnin Kebbi stadium is managed by the Nigeria Football Federation, not the Kebbi State Government. He noted that the state only provided land for the project, while FIFA and NFF oversaw construction and management.
The Kebbi State Government provided the land for the construction of the FIFA stadium, but the management and operations are handled by the NFF,” Ladan said. Since its commissioning in 2023, the stadium has hosted several competitions, including the 2024 Governor’s Cup and National League One matches.
Further verification by FactCheckAfrica revealed that FIFA’s role in Kenya was limited to discussions about constructing a technical football centre in Machakos, valued at KES 600 million, separate from the Talanta Sports City project.
Conclusion: The viral claim suggesting that the Birnin Kebbi FIFA mini-stadium and Talanta Sports Complex in Kenya were funded equally by FIFA is misleading. While the Kebbi project was built under the FIFA Forward Programme through the Nigeria Football Federation, the Kenyan Talanta Sports Complex is a government-funded project financed by domestic investors and state-backed securities.
The two projects differ in scope, purpose, and funding sources. Hence, comparing them as if they were equally funded by FIFA is inaccurate and misleading.
