A meeting to forge a collaboration between the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and the Spanish La Liga held Tuesday in Madrid with officials on both sides expressing their delight at the possibilities the meeting opened for the league in both countries.
Nigeria had since the inaugural meeting of the World League Congress shown interest in different areas of La Liga’s work in the international development field.
This Monday saw La Liga receiving the delegation of the League Management Company (LMC), the organizers of the NPFL, Shehu Dikko and an Independent Director, Hon. Nduka Irabor.
La Liga President, Javier Tebas in welcoming his guests expressed delight at the prospect of a partnership between Spain and Nigeria in the area of football and underlined his keenness to develop partnership with the Nigerian Football authorities.
Dikko explained that the aim of the working meeting was to align positions and work together towards establishing a partnership agreement.
The LMC Chairman said the meeting has enabled the team to gain a firsthand insight into the working methods of several of LaLiga’s departments and for LaLiga to showcase the progress being made in the international development field.
Dikko further said the LMC was interested in the various elements of LaLiga’s workings and commended them for being an organization known to set fine examples for other leagues around the world to emulate.
The discussion covered such areas of interest as the International Football Development Programme, Commercial Development and Branding, Broadcasting Rights, Financial Planning and Controls, Security, Legal Structures, Data Management and Commercialization, Integrity, Training and Capacity Development.
The meeting also provided the representatives from the two leagues with the opportunity to share ideas and experiences.
The two league bodies conclusively agreed to pursue projects of common objectives and to enter into a bilateral agreement, in due course and set clear timelines for the conclusion of the processes commencing with a visit of LaLiga delegation to be led by the President to Nigeria within the next few weeks.
“It will enable the LaLiga President appreciate the NPFL through a first hand assessment of the situation of our League vis-avis the core areas of action agreed to start up the partnership”, Dikko stated.
LaLiga President, Tebas, Director General, Javier Gomez and LaLiga’s Middle East office manager and head of international projects, Fernando Sanz, were on hand to receive their guests. Also present at the meeting were some of LaLiga’s heads of departments, including Adolfo Bara, LaLiga’s sales, marketing and sponsorship Director and Melcior Soler, director of the audiovisual department.
Nigeria thus joined other international delegations from around the world that have also expressed interest in LaLiga’s management model and the progress which has been made across different areas. As a part of LaLiga’s internationalization strategy, the aim of these strategic meetings is to build closer relationships with the federations and leagues from other countries in order for bilateral exchange agreements to be established.
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