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NPFL Euromatch Sponsorship: ‘Let’s Bring The Fans Back’ — Gusau Unveils Star-Match Plan
Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Gusau has promised to work closely with the new Euromatch NPFL partnership to make the league more attractive, generate fresh ideas and bring Nigerian football fans back to the stadiums.
Gusau spoke in Abuja at the unveiling of Euromatch as the new title sponsor of the Nigeria Premier Football League, with the three-year agreement worth $7.5 million, or $2.5 million per season.
READ ALSO: Breaking: NPFL Set to End 10-Year Title Sponsor Drought As New Partner Unveiled in Abuja
The NFF president said he had believed in the current board from the beginning and maintained that the progress now being recorded in the domestic league was the result of four years of consistency and stabilisation.
“I believed in the board from inception, stabilised them, and we can see the result now after four years,” Gusau said.
The NFF boss said the new partnership must not be allowed to remain a sponsorship agreement on paper, insisting that football authorities, clubs and the sponsor must work together to turn the investment into tangible improvements.
“I want to assure the people involved in this collaboration that we will work together and make it realistic,” he said.
Gusau also called for new ideas capable of changing the matchday experience and restoring the NPFL’s connection with supporters.
He believes the league must become more attractive to fans, particularly by creating fixtures and events that can generate excitement around the competition.
“Let’s initiate new ideas so that the fans can be back to the stadium,” Gusau said.
One of his proposals is the introduction of a weekly “star match”, with former Nigerian internationals also brought into the project to help reconnect supporters with the domestic game.
“Let’s have a star match every week and involve the ex-international players as well as having a way of bringing back fans to our stadia,” he added.
Gusau’s comments come as the NPFL enters a new commercial era following the signing of the Euromatch agreement, which will provide $2.5 million annually for three seasons.
Sixty per cent of the sponsorship proceeds is expected to go directly to the participating clubs, with the aim of improving players’ salaries and welfare.
The NFF president believes the commercial injection can help strengthen the league, but only if the different stakeholders work together and maintain the stability that has attracted the new investment.
Gusau, who was elected NFF president in September 2022 after previously serving as chairman of the Zamfara State Football Association and Chairman of Chairmen within the NFF, has made stability and stronger administration central themes of his leadership.
The former Zamfara administrator also has experience within CAF and FIFA structures, having served on several football committees, including the CAF Youth Organising Committee and FIFA Men’s Club Competitions Committee.
Now, with the Euromatch partnership providing a significant financial platform for the NPFL, Gusau wants the league to use the opportunity to rebuild its relationship with its most important stakeholders — the fans.
His proposed weekly star match could also provide a platform for former Super Eagles players to become more involved in domestic football, helping to bring their personalities and experience closer to the league while creating additional interest around selected fixtures.
With the new sponsorship secured and the 2026/27 season approaching, Gusau believes the NPFL has an opportunity to move beyond simply surviving and begin building a commercially stronger competition.
The message from the NFF president is clear: the money is coming, but the real success will be measured by what Nigerian football does with it — and whether the fans finally have a reason to fill the stadiums again.
A video has shown some members of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (the Izala sect) chanting and demanding AK-47 rifles to shoot Christian infidels in Enugu and Jos, the capital of Plateau.
In the video, a young man dressed in Izala Volunteer Corps uniform, a beige and blue beret colour, chanted, “Give us AK. Give AK. Let’s go to Enugu among infidels on Sunday while they are worshipping. Let’s open fire on them.” Several others chanted along with him in the video.
The chorus leader called for AK-47 rifles to invade churches in Jos.
Sheikh Bala Lau, the national chairman of JIBWIS, on Monday condemned the call for violence by its sect members, urging the State Security Service, the police and other relevant security agencies to immediately investigate the incident, identify those responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice in accordance with the law.
A netizen, @Arojinle, said, “That’s Izala’s uniform. I hope the @PoliceNG and @OfficialDSSNG take action before we have another terrorist faction within us. One major problem is that Izala adherents are not in the North alone. They exist in Hausa-dominated microenvironments. I’ve seen their branded bus at Sabo, Ìbàdàn, several times.”
“Just watched a disturbing video of this Izala (JIBWIS) Agaji member singing a gyration song while leading his team, saying, “Give me AK-47 so that I will go to Enugu and kill infidels (arna) on Sunday while they are praying and happy. Give me guns to go to Jos and kill more infidels—that is the Sunnah, that is the training,” @Timmosion said. “You may think this is just music or a joke, but deep down, that is their true mindset. The only thing standing between them and carrying out such thoughts is the secular state and its laws.”
@Abdul_Ahmad said, “With all due respect, this is completely wrong and not part of the teaching of Islam. I’m calling the attention of the Izala 2 leadership under Sheikh Bala Lau and Kabiru Gombe to look into this matter with immediate effect so as not to produce more extremists.”
Police spokesperson Ani Iniedu did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video.
Osun State chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has urged Nigerians to vote against the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 general elections, accusing the party of failing to demonstrate the capacity to manage the country effectively.
The ADC also dismissed allegations that it had failed to pay its secretariat staff for more than a year, describing the claim as an attempt by the APC to undermine its credibility and portray it as unfit to govern Nigeria.
The party stated this in a statement signed by its Osun State Publicity Secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede, on Tuesday.
The statement was in response to a statement attributed to the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
“The APC’s attempt to portray the ADC as a party incapable of governing Nigeria is neither an argument based on sound reasoning nor a credible assessment of our capacity to lead,” the statement read.
ADC argued that the ruling party was attempting to divert public attention from the economic challenges facing Nigerians, including rising living costs, insecurity and mounting financial pressures on households and businesses.
“Nigerians are interested in leadership that delivers results, not an administration that issues statements condemning its opponents while struggling to convince citizens that its own record deserves another mandate," it added.
The opposition party also accused the APC Presidential Campaign Council of targeting its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, over issues surrounding salary modulation and outstanding pension obligations during his tenure as Osun State governor.
It criticised the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, and the APC for allegedly reducing Aregbesola’s eight-year administration to a single issue while overlooking its policies on infrastructure, education and other sectors.
Highlighting the administration’s achievements, the ADC said it constructed 170 model schools, comprising 100 elementary schools, 50 middle schools and 20 high schools.
It also cited reduced fees in state-owned tertiary institutions, bursary payments and assistance for medical students undertaking clinical training abroad.
The party said the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme, O-YES, created employment opportunities for thousands of young people, while road projects delivered more than 300 kilometres of township roads and 222 kilometres of rural roads through interventions supported by the World Bank and the French government under the Rural Access and Mobility Project.
On healthcare, the ADC said the administration "upgraded or rehabilitated more than nine state hospitals and 12 comprehensive health centres."
It also cited the establishment of the Osun Ambulance Service, alongside the Omoluabi Garment Factory, the O’Clean environmental sanitation initiative and projects aimed at reducing flooding.
The party added that the administration introduced social welfare programmes, including Agba Osun for older residents and O-Widow for widows, while supporting agriculture and food production.
It maintained that it would focus on policy proposals and practical solutions rather than exchanging insults with the APC.
“The time has come for Nigerians to reject political propaganda and demand accountable leadership that prioritises the welfare of the people. We urge voters to use their ballots in the 2027 general elections to decide the ruling party’s political future," it concluded.
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