LaLiga signs cooperative agreement with Nigerian football representatives

A LaLiga delegation headed by the president of the organisation, Javier Tebas, the director of LaLiga's Middle East Office and international projects, Fernando Sanz, and the director of LaLiga's South Africa Office, Antonio Barradas, met this week in Abuja with the highest authorities of Nigerian football, represented by the League Management Company of Nigeria (LMC). As a result of the meetings, LaLiga president Javier Tebas has signed a cooperative agreement with Shehu Dikko, president of the LMC. The cooperation, which was recorded in a memorandum of understanding, will run for the next five years and it will initially focus on working together on sporting, administrative, commercial and marketing issues, as well as exchanges between clubs. 

"Through this agreement, LaLiga will provide the Nigerian league with assistance in various areas, such as sports – providing training to coaches –, club administration and the possibility of tours or matches between clubs from the two leagues," explained Tebas. "We will also work together so that Nigerian players will have the opportunity to play for clubs in LaLiga," he added. 

According to the LMC president, "the cooperation between the two organisations marks the beginning of a new road hitherto not travelled in an effort to deliver on our mandate to improve the quality and fortunes of the football league in Nigeria." He went on to say, "We decided to align with global best practices. We have a lot to learn and benefit from LaLiga and we believe that LaLiga also has some things to learn from us." Finally, he stressed that investors are already showing an interest, because they have seen that they have associated with one of the biggest leagues in the world. 

Also present during the signing of the documents were Solomon Dalung, a member of Nigeria's Ministry for Youth and Sport, and Alfonso Barnuevo, the Spanish ambassador to Nigeria. Barnuevo expressed how proud he was to witness the agreement and assured that it will benefit both Nigeria and Spain. "This agreement is very significant, because LaLiga is one of the most important companies in Spain," added the ambassador. "This is a new page in the history of football administration in Nigeria," stressed Dalung, who also hopes that the memorandum serves to open up platforms for exchanging ideas on how to engage young Nigerians.