LaLiga strengthen sporting, cultural and business ties with Nigeria

A LaLiga delegation led by president Javier Tebas, and including Antonio Barradas, director of LaLiga's South Africa Office, Fernando Sanz, director of LaLiga's Middle East Office and International Projects, and Melcior Soler, the director of Audiovisual Affairs, have met with the Nigerian National Professional Football League authorities in Abuja, Nigeria. Tebas and his team were met by the president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick, League Management Company (LMC) chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko, Nigeria’s youth and sports minister, barrister Solomon Dalung and Spain’s ambassador to Nigeria Alfonso Barnuevo Sebastian de Erice.

LaLiga president Tebas expressed his delight at the prospect of sharing experiences with the NPFL, noting that while they will be providing technical assistance to the LMC in the administration of the league, they will also in turn learn something from Nigeria. "We are here not only to teach but to share experience, and we are sure we can also learn from the Nigerian Professional Football League. This exchange of experiences will help us to grow and we'll ratify this in Nigeria during this visit with a Memorandum of Understanding. Football is not only a commercial issue, but also an example of values especially for the youth in any country, and LaLiga would like to help develop these values for the youth of Nigeria. We want to use the names of our stars to transmit the values of the sport. We will also offer our expertise not only to football but to the Nigerian government," Tebas assured.

Dalung reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian government towards making Nigeria investment-friendly by providing a suitable environment for such a partnership between the LMC and LaLiga to succeed. He commended the LMC for keying into the policy thrust from government for the development of the elite league, which provides jobs for thousands of young people across the 20 clubs, and by stimulating business activities. "The league in Nigeria is a major tool for social cohesion. Government is committed to putting in place and enabling administrative and legal frameworks for international business partnerships."

According to the minister, the government will work with and support the directors of football in the country to develop such projects. "It is of significance that the NPFL and LaLiga are entering into an understanding that will improve the business aspects of the league in Nigeria. Such areas will boost the earnings of football, which will in turn impact positively on the welfare of the players while creating new frontiers for business," Dalung said. 

Ambassador Barnuevo told the LMC and LaLiga delegations that the partnership will strengthen the already strong cultural and trade ties between his country and Nigeria, stating that: “At the moment, Spain is the third biggest buyer of Nigeria’s crude oil.” The LMC chairman, Shehu Dikko, said discussions that led to the partnership to be signed on Tuesday, were initiated at that inaugural World Leagues Forum meeting in London in 2015.

"Our objective is to be able to move with the times. We need to get our league to conform to international standards and best practices. LaLiga is one of the best leagues in the world. They have some of the richest clubs in the world, and they have a system which is very attractive to us. The structure and management of their clubs is fantastic as well as the way the government and the clubs relate to each other. They also have legislation from the government to ensure that the league is developed. We need to learn how they do that," Dikko said.