By Sharon Ekhiwere
Nigeria’s foremost investment banking firm, GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited, have signed a strategic partnership deal with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to further enhance the efficient management of the FA Cup, platinumnewsng.com is reporting.
The deal is expected to boost the commercial value of Nigeria’s oldest domestic club competition and ensure that it attracts the sponsorship of Corporate Nigeria and the Multinationals. This is essential in order to develop the product which has immensely contributed in unifying the football-loving Nigerians.
A peep into history reveals that the FA Cup was created in 1945 and currently, is the main football single-elimination tournament in Nigeria, contested by over 2,000 teams across the 774 local governments of the Federation and FCT.
With the emergence of GTI into Nigeria’s football ecosystem in 2022 as strategic partners to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), the financial institution’s commitment towards a total restructuring of the elite league endeared the new partnership with the NFF.
In his remarks, the President of the NFF, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, commended the GTI Group for what they have achieved with the NPFL and expects the partnership to impact positively on the development of the FA Cup.
Similarly, the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, stated “the NFF is delighted about this partnership as we are keen to have the glory days of the Federation Cup back. This agreement has the potential to robustly improve the country’s Football Economy.”
FROM L-R: NFF Director of Finance, Mr. Babatunde Akinsanya; NFF Secretary General, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi; NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau; GMD GTI, Abubakar Lawal; Chairman, Marketing and Sponsorship of NFF, Alhaji Sharif Rabiu Inuwa and Executive Director GTI, Nelson Ine at the signing ceremony of the FA Cup partnership deal between the NFF and GTI in Abuja on January 4, 2024.
Reacting to the new deal with NFF, GTI’s GMD, Abubakar Lawal, affirmed that their expertise and experience will come handy to further improve the management of the FA Cup. He also assured stakeholders that beginning from the 2023/2024 edition the structure and prize money will be enhanced.
“We expect that between now and the first three years of this deal, the FA Cup would have been transformed to a very competitive tournament full of excitement and glamour. Therefore, we call on the investing public to find it worthy to invest in our football via The Nigeria Football Fund (TNFF),” he said.
TNFF has remained a veritable tool in driving football development to a desirable height in the country and it is registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).