Nigeria: Argentina – NFF Begins Accreditation of Journalists

Duro Ikhazuagbe

26 April 2011

As part of the planning ahead for the Nigeria/Argentina international friendly football match taking place at the National Stadium in Abuja on Wednesday 1st June, the Nigeria Football Federation is leaving nothing to chance in its resolve to give it a world-class handling. Apart from accommodation already booked and paid for at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja where both teams are going to be lodged by the sponsor of the game, Guinness Nigeria Plc, the federation has also begun the accreditation of journalists that would cover the match.

Ademola Olajire, the chief media officer of the federation, said yesterday that because of the foreign journalists who will be coming for the game, only one reporter/ photojournalist per medium would be accredited for the event.

“We would like to have the list of the media persons who would be representing the various media houses at the high-profile match. We are requesting that each editor/manager of the various sports desks in the country send in, by e-mail or sms text, the name of that one person that would be representing their organisation at the match.

The match between the Super Eagles and the Albicelestes is costing sponsor, Guinness Nigeria Plc, $3million (about N450m) and is coming four days before Nigeria’s crucial 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.

The NFF leaderships groaning under the weight of limited funds to meet pressing engagements, are thanking their stars for having Guinness around to offset part of the bill for the Cup of Nations tie in Ethiopia. Guinness will be responsible for the players’ flight tickets from their respective bases in Europe.

“A huge load has also been reduced from our neck as Guinness will be paying the players ticket fees from their respective destinations in Europe,” a senior Glass House administrator said at the weekend.

“Initially we (NFF) were supposed to take charge of this, but with the Argentina friendly coming up before the Ethiopia game, they (Guinness) will be helping us to take charge of the ticketing. This is a big relief for us, as we will only be responsible for their (players) return flight tickets,” concludes the top NFF insider.

Guinness Nigeria Plc, as one of the major sponsors of the Super Eagles, pays an annual N250m sponsorship fee to the Federation.

AllAfrica – All the Time