MTN Sponsor Nigerian and Zambian Soccer

A sponsorship deal worth almost US$20m has been agreed over a three-year period between major telecommunications company MTN and the Nigeria and Zambia soccer federations.

The Nigerian Premier League is set to be the majority benefactor as the company look to invest US$17m over four-years, coming as a major boost to the league’s powerbrokers. The deal comes at a time when Davidson Owumi, chairman of the league, has been taken to court contesting the legitimacy of his position.

The agreement is the latest occurrence in an ongoing battle for the major sponsorship platforms of Nigerian soccer between MTN and Globacom. Globacom reportedly owes the Nigeria Premier League almost US$6 million in unpaid sponsorship fees from last season. This supposed money owed has led to the league’s debts of more than US$4.5 million.

An unnamed Globacom executive told Nigerian press: “The last has not been heard of this. The entire process has been less than satisfactory. We have a situation where one company put it in a bid and then another organisation, which did not formally enter the race, is said to have won the bid.”

MTN will also sponsor the Zambian Super League in a deal worth US$827,000 to become title sponsor for the next three years.