Femi Solaja
As a follow up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Nigerian jersey that sold out three million orders within hours of been put on sale, the Nigeria Football Federation and its global brand kit-sponsor NIKE have taken further steps in the plan to unveil another set of kits for the national teams.
Director of Communications at the NFF, Ademola Olajire confirmed yesterday that a virtual meeting on Monday that had federation’s President Amaju Pinnick, Vice Presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, NIKE’s Tina Salminen, David Watson and Lee Murphy and other NFF Board Members discussed the finishing touches to the designs.
Olajire further hinted that the new designs were to have been launched earlier in the year, but plans went askew as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic.
“The Super Eagles would launch the new wears during the FIFA window for international friendlies next month,” the spokesman of the NFF hinted.
Two years ago, NIKE received three million orders for the Super Eagles’ 2018 FIFA World Cup kit prior to the release of the jerseys into the market on 29th May 2018.
On the first day of the sales in London, United Kingdom on Friday, 1st June 2018 (which also was the eve of Nigeria’s high-profile pre-World Cup friendly with England’s Three Lions at Wembley), NIKE shops ran out of stock within one hour of putting out the jerseys.
Apart from the tremendous success on the counter, NIKE has continued to express its delight with the running agreement with the NFF, initially signed in London in April 2015, with the various Nigeria National Teams qualifying for major competitions and impressing at continental championships.
Since the penning of the initial contract, the U17 boys have won the FIFA World Cup; the U23 boys won the U23 AFCON and took bronze medal at the Olympics in Brazil; the Super Falcons have won two AFCON titles; the Eagles B have achieved a record-high second-place finish at the CHAN and; the Super Eagles have qualified for the FIFA World Cup from a ‘Group of Death’ in the African series and have taken the bronze medals at the AFCON.
Presently, the Super Eagles comfortably top their 2022 AFCON qualifying group and would be guaranteed a ticket to the finals if they overhaul Sierra Leone home-and-away in the Day 3 and 4 encounters in November.
