Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Arsenal to tour Nigeria in 2012


English Premier League side, Arsenal FC will be playing some Nigerian Premier League clubs next year as part of a tour in Nigeria.


This was disclosed by the club's Marketing Director, Angus Kinnear, who was part of a delegation that paid a visit to the Nigeria Football federation today to make arrangements with stakeholders ahead of the proposed tour.


Receiving the delegation NFF's Acting General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu informed the Arsenal officials that football is an intense passion in Nigeria.


Amadu told them that Nigeria is "a nation of 167 million passionate football fans who come together and identify with themselves much better when the issue on the table is the round leather game."


He recalls that two years ago, Manchester United FC and Portsmouth FC delegations were pleasantly surprised at the reception they got from ordinary Nigerian ball fans in this country.


Kinnear revealed that the Club's biggest fan base outside England might be Nigeria - an assertion which Amaduu agrees with - an says the delegation was overwhelmed by the support for the club, pledging to ensure that the bar wouldn't drop.


"We are pleasantly surprised at all that we have seen. Ours is a Club with strong values and strong tradition, with over 20 nationalities involved, and we have a Manager who values talent. We also believe in building strength rather than buying", stated Kinnear.


Amadu urged the English club to be ready to provide advice to the Nigeria Premier League and technical support to some Nigerian Clubs.


"This visit, I want to observe, will definitely provide a strong platform for a much better relationship between the English Premier League (EPL) and the Nigeria Premier League (NPL)" he noted.


Incidentally, the NPL is just returning firmly to its feet after protracted crisis and will welcome tips and suggestions on how to re-position powerfully for the upcoming season.


"It is also important that I mention that some of our football Clubs, particularly those in the Premier League, would welcome some form of technical partnership with Arsenal Football Club", said Amadu.


Daily Trust


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