The new President of the Nigeria Football Federation Ibrahim Gusau has begun deft moves that should help the Federation secure new sponsors as the national teams groan under heavy debts.

Extrasportsnigeria.com contact in Abuja has confirmed some of the meetings the President that held in the last few days in a bid to shore up the revenue source of the NFF.

“The man is a very close friend of the President (Gusau) but the meeting was not just about friendship. The meeting was essentially set up to discuss sponsorship and this is just one of the meetings he has held since he returned from Benin City,” our reporter was told.

The NFF has suffered heavy financial stress in recent times, a situation that has seen the Super Eagles players owed allowances; the Super Eagles B battled through their CHAN qualifiers with little or no cash just as the Super Falcons created a huge embarrassment for the country in Morocco at the last AWCON over unpaid allowances.

One of the worst hit sectors is the Nigerian domestic league which has run for years now without any sponsorship. The referees and staff are heavily owed too. The NFF cup competition names after the sponsor Aiteo could not be completed this year over lack of funds. The sponsor has not able to fulfill their part of the bargain with the NFF over the years and has extended adverse effect also on the national teams.

The situation may have become even more challenging with the country failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which has resulted to heavy revenue loss from FIFA. 

The NFF Board is expected to hold its first meeting in Abuja on Tuesday where finances would be on the agenda.

Culled from www.extrasportsnigeria.com