From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) has applauded the recent jersey sponsorship deal signed by Rangers International Football Club with Afrinvest Limited, a financial firm.
Head of Operations of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of NPFL, Davidson Owumi stated this in Enugu at a ceremony to consummate the N50m deal in the first season.
He praised Governor Peter Mbah for “putting aside politics to give Rangers the platform to excel,” disclosing that the sponsorship would have been sealed six years ago, but some persons allegedly politicised it.
The former General Manager and player of the Flying Antelopes said that the NPFL is working assiduously to bring about financial autonomy for club sides in the country.
According to him, the league was already creating an enabling environment for clubs to thrive, adding that the agreement, which was entered into by Rangers, would serve as a springboard for other clubs.
“The essence is that we want to build an ecosystem where the clubs would have their own economic life and that will transmit into the Premier League itself. We are venturing into partnerships.
“If the 20 premiership clubs can get involved in things like this, then it makes it easier for the league to operate and bring it to the level it should. We are already creating the necessary environment for the clubs. Every match today is on Livestream. The partners have the opportunity of seeing their products around the world every week.
“The target is to take this as a springboard for other teams to understand that this is the way to go. This is the trajectory of our members’ modern vision for Nigerian football. We want teams to get involved in this new vision and new trajectory for Nigerian football.”