Gusau condemns Nike deal as NFF confirms N11.9bn Adidas pact

Outgoing Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau has criticised the federation’s previous Nike agreement while confirming a new Adidas partnership worth N11.9 billion annually. He disclosed the deal at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, where he also announced his resignation.

Gusau described the Nike arrangement as a “slavery” deal and said its financial terms placed heavy pressure on the NFF board. The agreement had remained on the same annual terms despite rising costs linked to football administration, international competitions and the needs of Nigeria’s national teams.

Under the Nike contract, the federation received $500,000 in cash and kits valued at $1 million each year. Gusau said those figures had become inadequate because the agreement was signed in 2015 and did not increase as the cost of running the national teams grew.

He said the shortage affected the federation’s ability to provide equipment for its teams, forcing the NFF to buy national team jerseys through open-market channels. The expanding kit requirements of the various national sides also made the fixed allocation less useful than it had been when the agreement began.

The Adidas partnership will provide $8.5 million annually, split between $4.5 million in cash and $4 million worth of equipment and kits. Gusau said the new agreement corrected the financial imbalance created by the previous arrangement and followed the conclusion of the Nike contract.

Gusau’s comments came as he prepared to leave the NFF presidency. His criticism focused on the unchanged value of the old deal and its effect on the federation’s finances, while the Adidas agreement represents a substantial increase in both direct funding and the value of supplies available to Nigeria’s national teams.