Sports

Ex-Super Eagles Stars thrilled by NPFL-EuroMatch $7.5m Sponsorship Deal

Published

2 months ago

August 26, 2026

Five former Super Eagles players, three of who was in the all conquering Tunisia 1994 Nations Cup winning side attended the unveiling of EuroMatch as the Official Title Sponsor of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

EuroMatch Group is a Poland based private investment company that focuses on building and scaling technology ventures within the global gaming industry.

The NPFL and EuroMatch penned the league’s naming rights for a deal worth $7.5m over three years. The unveiling ceremony was witnessed by the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, former Sports Minister and now Special Adviser on Public Communications to the President, Dr. Sunday Dare.

Austin Eguavoen, the stand-in captain during the 1994 campaign led the Super Eagles cast of Daniel Amokachi, Samson Siasia and Brown Ideye, a later years Super Eagles who won the golden boot in Nigeria’s third AFCON success in 2013 in South Africa.

Amokachi, who spoke for his colleagues described the deal as a good start to the recovery of the domestic league and urged the clubs to channel their share from the revenue to improving players’ welfare.

“Players are the main acts in the football business and it will help the fortunes of the NPFL if considerable focus is placed on improving the welfare of the players with the monies that the clubs will earn from this sponsorship”, said Amokachi, famously called The Bull.

NPFL Chairman, Otunba Gbenga Elegbeleye described the partnership as reward for years of efforts at repositioning the league since 2022.

“We met the league at ground zero, there was nothing and we have been working to get to where we are today.

“I must thank the NFF President for his all round support for the NPFL and the former Sports Minister, Dr. Sunday Dare, who went all out to convince me to take up the appointment to serve as the lead for the board in 2022”, Elegbeleye remarked.

He assured EuroMatch group led by the Chairman, Semih Sacli that they would find in the NPFL the right platform to achieve their brand’s business and commercial objectives in Nigeria.

Sacli in his response, noted that the Group reckons with the inherent opportunities in Nigeria as Africa’s most populous nation.

“I believe in Nigeria and the opportunities it offers. By next year, we will return to say that we made the right decision, which is to work with the NPFL to take this league to Europe and other parts of the world”, Sacli told the audience at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

The 2026/27 season of the NPFL starts on Friday, August 26 with a flagoff match in Ibadan between hosts, Shooting Stars and visiting Inter Lagos. The other nine fixtures will be played on Sunday, August 30.

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Sports

Folsa School, GSS Kuje, Others Shine at Inaugural AFFAN Abuja Chapter Relay Race

Published

3 hours ago

October 30, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

It was an atmosphere of excitement, enthusiasm and healthy competition as close to 300 schoolgirls from 12 schools across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) participated in the maiden edition of the Association of Former Female Athletes of Nigeria (AFFAN), Abuja Chapter, Inter-Area Council Junior and Senior Secondary Schools Relay Race.

The competition, held on Friday at the Main Bowl of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, provided a platform for young female athletes to showcase their talents, promote grassroots sports development and encourage greater participation of girls in athletics.

The historic event brought together students from various junior and senior secondary schools across the FCT, with participants competing in different track events, including the 100-metre race,4×100-metre relay, 4×400-metre relay and relay competitions for school girls.

Participating junior secondary schools included JSS Kuje, JSS Hajj Camp, JSS Kwali, JSS Abaji, Government Secondary School (GSS) Gwagwalada and Folsa School.

In the senior secondary category, the participating schools were GSS Kuje, GSS Gwagwalada, GSS Kwali, Total Child School, Government Day Secondary School (GDSS) Abaji and Folsa School.

In the junior girls’ 100-metre race, David Jimata of GDSS Kwali emerged winner to claim the gold medal, while Mercy Monday of Total Child School settled for silver. Kudirat Abdulaziz finished third to win bronze.

In the senior girls’ 100-metre event, Patricia Habillah of Folsa School claimed gold, while Mojinatu Sulaiman of Total Child School won silver. Youana of GDSS Abaji secured the bronze medal.

The junior girls’ 4×100-metre relay saw JSS Kuje emerge champions, while JSS Hajj Camp, Gwagwalada, finished second. JSS Kwali took third place.

In the senior girls’ 4×100-metre relay, Folsa School clinched the gold medal, while GDSS Abaji secured silver.

The competition also featured the 4×400-metre relay, with GSS Hajj Camp emerging winners in the junior category, ahead of GSS Kuje, who finished second, while Folsa School claimed third place.

In the senior 4×400-metre relay, Folsa School finished first to win gold, while GSS Gwagwalada secured silver and GSS Kuje settled for bronze.

The maiden competition underscored the importance of providing young girls with opportunities to discover and develop their sporting abilities through organised grassroots competitions.

It also offered participating schools an opportunity to identify promising athletes who could be nurtured for future competitions at national and international levels.

The initiative by AFFAN Abuja Chapter is expected to contribute to the development of female athletics in the FCT while inspiring more young girls to embrace sports and pursue their dreams in athletics.

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