Globacom is to become the title sponsor of the Nigerian Professional Football League after reaching an agreement with the League Management Company (LMC) for a three-year deal worth a reported N1.89 billion (US$11.9 million).
The league will receive N550 million in the first year of the deal, followed by 10-per-cent increases in the subsequent two years.
The LMC is attempting to reinvigorate the league after widespread concerns about the deterioration of quality in a traditionally strong footballing country.
LMC chairman Nduka Irabor said: “Today marks a new beginning for the Nigerian League. I’m overjoyed that our efforts at bringing out our league from the clutches of neglect has yielded good fruits… Nevertheless, I want to say that Nigerian League is worth more than this amount, but for the past practices which scared away potential investors. This is our starting point and in the nearest future, we shall get to the zenith of our league potentials. But we can only achieve this through transparency and honesty as a body.”