NFF to unveil Eagles’ new kits this week

Federation also set to announce new FA Cup sponsors

Super Eagles’ new kits for the 2016/17 football season may be unveiled before the end of this week, officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), have revealed.

This would be followed in a couple of weeks with the announcement of a new sponsorship deal that will rekindle the glory days of the prestigious FA (Football Association ) Cup competition.

Speaking during an interactive session with the media at the Marriott Hotel (Maida Vale), London, on Saturday, NFF President, Melvin Amaju Pinnick, said the kits would be unveiled this week, adding, “I am just going to confirm that. We are going to even have some of our players – in the Premier League – there at the unveiling.”

Pinnick also talked about a new sponsorship deal for the FA Cup, saying, “we should have a new sponsor for the FA Cup in the next few weeks.”

He did not disclose the identity of the new sponsors, saying, “we cannot talk about that for now.”

The NFF president said there was a new breath of life in the country’s football, adding that the dark days when major global brands with megabucks distanced themselves from Nigeria’s football were over.

He revealed, “We lost about $3 million sponsorship deal due to instability and litigation. Some companies didn’t want to have anything to do with Nigeria. But we have introduced a lot professionalism and integrity to football administration, which culminated in the recent visit of the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, to Nigeria.”

Pinnick added: “Imagine when President Barack Obama visits a country, what does it say about the leadership of that country?”

According to him, the high regard that FIFA now accords the NFF was evident after the world footballing body sent in its auditors to Nigeria to look at the federation’s books.

“We are doing a lot of things and strategising for the long-term of Nigeria’s football, and that’s why I have introduced many things to bring in professionalism. You just don’t hear these things

“FIFA’s auditors were with us to audit our account three weeks ago. They checked everywhere and gave us a clean bill,” he said.