NFF to renegotiate Glo contract

BY JUDE OPARA, Abuja

In a bid to improve its revenue base, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) may have concluded arrangements to renegotiate the sponsorship deal it entered into with Globacom for the sole sponsorship of the national teams.

The telecommunication company has the exclusive right of the sponsorship of all the national teams of Nigeria for an annual fee of N350 million.

FILE: Shooting Stars Adeyinka Adedeji(l) stumbles during a GLO Premier League match between Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan and Kano Pillars in Ibadan.

However, all the money does not accrue to the federation as a certain marketer is said to take 20% of that sum.

A dependable source at the NFF Secretariat told Sports Vanguard exclusively that the federation which is facing a huge financial meltdown is seriously considering mustering the courage to call for a renegotiation of the deal which many analysts believe has never been in the interest of the federation.

The source further revealed that the NFF is contemplating throwing the whole thing open for other interested organizations to bid since the exiting contract with Glo has elapsed.

It was further gathered that another approach the federation may present is to unbundle the entire sponsorship deal so as to allow other organizations to take other national teams if they would be interested, like it is done in other climes.

“The truth is that the NFF, as a federation cannot continue with this arrangement because the money they are paying is peanuts compared to what is obtainable in other places. It is only here that all the national teams are handed over to one organization and yet somebody collects 20% of that sum as a consultant.

“If we were able to manage with that unfavourable arrangement, the present reality in the country does not support that anymore, which makes it imperative for things to be done differently and I am sure the board is already doing something about it.”