NFF, Nike Sign New Improved Contract

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) yesterday at the Stephen Keshi stadium, Asaba, Delta state signed a new partnership agreement with global sportswear company, Nike.

Nike had initially partnered with the NFF in April 2015 in a seemingly short term deal but Tuesday’s agreement is seen by both parties as the real deal. The agreement reportedly runs for four years with a renewal clause that takes the deal to the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“We need to know where we are coming from to be able to appreciate where we are now. A few months after we came on board for our first term in office, I was told that we needed to buy jerseys for the National Team to play a football match. That was how bad it was, because the kit sponsor at that time terminated the contract.”

“So, I made contacts with some highly connected persons and worked hard to convince NIKE to come on board. We were coming from a weak position but they made the agreement flexible for us. Today, we are happy we teamed up with NIKE because after we qualified and participated at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, the company was the one chasing us for a new improved contract,” NFF President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, said at the contract signing ceremony.

Chairman of the NFF Marketing, Sponsorship and TV Rights Committee, Mallam Shehu Dikko, added that NIKE’s faith in Nigerian Football and its encouragement all the way have been heartwarming.

“They never stopped believing in us and in our teams, and after they conducted their due diligence on everyone involved in the running of the NFF, they were very eager to sign this new deal as far back as when we returned from the World Cup in Russia. But we kept telling them to give us some time.”

“We are very happy because this new agreement comes with good money on annual basis, more supplies, improved qualification bonus for our teams, door-to-door delivery of kits, royalty for the NFF on jerseys sold and it has now been expanded to include our women national teams.”

“We have a window for renewal of this contract in 2023 but most terms of the agreement as presently constituted would improve should the Super Eagles make a huge impact at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”

“This contract brings a huge sigh of relief. Now, we do not have to worry about clearing kits at the ports because NIKE now has that responsibility to bring it to our door. All the national teams are now captured, we earn money on number of jerseys sold and a new kit will be designed for Nigeria prior to the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo,” He said.

Under the terms of the new deal, Dikko also explained that the national teams will use the current designs rolled out this year until 2020 and by the 2020 Olympics Nike will roll out another design.

Tina Salminen, NIKE’s Regional Sports Marketing Director (Africa), expressed delight at the signing of the new contract. “NIKE is very happy with its relationship with Nigeria. The jersey we designed for Nigeria for the FIFA World Cup won the award as for Best Designed Jersey and was hugely popular. It has remained a source of reference in NIKE meetings and events ever since. It is also the first national team jersey ever that has reached the London Museum Awards.”

“Nigeria is one of the big teams in world football and we are happy to get them to sign a long term contract. The designer of this kit is so ready to design another kits for Nigeria before the 2020 Olympics. So, we are only awaiting the signatures and we shall be looking forward to some other great designs,” She said.