Sports
Total Promotions Reject NPL Decision
Total Promotions Limited, the firm which represented MTN in the bidding for the Nigeria Premier League title rights, have rejected the decision of the NPL Congress ordering for a fresh round of bidding.
Total Promotions chairman Niyi Alonge said in a statement that his company had a legally binding contract with the NPL and the congress had no legal justification to cancel the earlier bidding, especially as the matter is before a Federal High court.
“We have received the communiqué of the National Sports Commission sponsored Congress of NFL in which Congress stated it was unilaterally cancelling a commercial agreement legally entered into with Total Promotions Ltd for the Title Rights and ordering a ‘fresh’ bidding process within two weeks.
“We advise this statement be discountenanced for the following reasons: This matter is already before the Federal High Court in suit No FHC/L/CS/68/2011 of 19th January, 2011 and already served on NFL, NFA and the Honourable Minister of Sports.”
Alonge went on to accuse the Minister and his Director General of being behind the NPL Congress decision.
“For the Honourable Minister and his DG who both personally held hours of meeting with members of the NFL congress to display such open desperate and undue disregard for court process speaks volumes.
“Total Promotions Ltd affirms it has a duly executed subsisting contract between the two parties for the next four years. The contract fully states the process by which it can be vitiated by both parties. No part of this subsisting legal agreement gives one party the right to act unilaterally.
“We are duty bound to await and abide by the courts decision on the subsisting suit,” Alonge said.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.