Why NFF Dumped Nike After 11 Years and Signed a New Kit Deal With Adidas
- The Nigeria Football Federation ended its 11-year relationship with Nike and finalised a new kit deal with Adidas worth millions annually
- Outgoing NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau revealed the Nike contract locked the federation into the same financial terms for 11 years despite rising costs
- The new Adidas agreement is described as the largest kit deal between an African football federation and an equipment manufacturer
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has signed a landmark kit sponsorship agreement with Adidas, ending an 11-year partnership with Nike that outgoing federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau publicly described as a "slavery" contract.
Gusau made the disclosure at a press briefing tied to his resignation at the NFF's national headquarters in Abuja, saying his predecessor had locked the federation into financial terms that never changed across more than a decade of football administration.
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Under the arrangement signed in 2015, Nike paid the NFF $500,000 in cash annually and supplied kits worth $1 million per year, Sporting Sun reports.
Both figures remained frozen for 11 years, even as the cost of running national teams, travelling to international competitions and sourcing equipment climbed steadily.
"If somebody is giving you $500,000 in 2015 and still giving you the same amount in 2026, it is like having nothing. And somebody gives you kits worth $1 million in 2015 and now still gives you the same," Gusau said.
He added that the stagnant kit allocation had grown so inadequate that his administration was forced to buy Super Eagles jerseys directly from the open market.
"As president of the NFF, if you come to my house now, I can't bring out a set of jerseys because we had a contract that was signed for 11 years on the same terms," he said.
Why NFF dumped Nike for Adidas
According to reports by Afrik-Foot, the new Adidas agreement with the NFF is structured very differently.
The German sportswear company will pay the NFF $4.5 million in cash every year, equivalent to roughly ₦6.1 billion, alongside an annual equipment package valued at $4 million, or about ₦5.4 billion.
The NFF will also receive 20% of revenue generated through Adidas store sales of Nigerian merchandise, giving the federation a direct stake in the commercial performance of its football brand.
The agreement is reported to be the largest of its kind between an African football federation and a kit manufacturer.
Nigeria's $4.5 million annual cash payment alone is more than double the figure Morocco receives under its current arrangement.
The 20% revenue-sharing clause could prove particularly valuable.
During the 2018 World Cup, the Super Eagles' Nike kit became one of the most widely discussed strips in world football, selling out across multiple markets.
If Adidas can generate comparable demand, that percentage share could significantly boost the NFF's income beyond the guaranteed annual sums.
The equipment component is also expected to ease the financial pressure of supplying Nigeria's full national team structure, which includes the Super Eagles, Super Falcons and various youth sides competing in international tournaments across the year.
NFF president Gusau resigns
Earlier, Legit.ng reported about the recent resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Gusau amid mounting pressure from Nigeria's failure to qualify for major international football tournaments.
As national pride dwindles, the implications of this leadership change could resonate deeply within the future of Nigerian football and its governance, raising concerns about financial oversight and the direction of the sport in the country.
Source: Legit.ng
