How NFF Uses Mediterranean Sports To Divert N60.8 million Coca Cola Sponsorship Money

How NFF Uses Mediterranean Sports To Divert N60.8 million Coca Cola Sponsorship Money

By Niyi Busari

Again, it is revealed that the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, is using Mediterranean Sports Ltd. to divert money meant for the development of Nigerian football, BSNSports.com.ng can report.

NFF is reported to have used Mediterranean Sports Ltd, to receive the sum of Sixty thousand US Dollars ($60,000) which is equivalent of Sixty million and eight hundred thousand naira (N60,800,000) as twenty percent (20%) of Eight hundred thousand US Dollars ($800,000) annual Coca Cola sponsorship fees for paid for 2020 deal.

The Nigeria Football Federation have corporate sponsors in their stable before the Amaju Pinnick-led board emerged and Coca-Cola Nigeria is one of such sponsors.

In fact, the Coca-Cola sponsorship deal was sealed during Ibrahim Galadima’s administration, the sponsorship relationship was nurtured and maintained by Sani Lulu Abdullahi and Aminu Maigari’s administrations.

Surprisingly, Mediterranean Sports Ltd, a carefully designed trump card to divert, siphon and steal NFF funds, already got 20% of the Coca-Cola sponsorship fees for 2020, which is $160,000 (N60,800,000).

This was uncovered by the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF). The Players Union also revealed that the federation in 2018 directed the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to pay their world cup support funds into Mediterranean Sports Ltd account.

Shehu Dikko, chairman of the League Management Company (LMC) and second vice president of the NFF, is a director and owner of Mediterranean Sports Ltd, a company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission with registration number RC:609149 situated at Plot 1467 Hon. Justice Mamman Nasir Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja.

In a letter dated 6th April 2018 signed by Pinnick addressed to the Managing Director/CEO Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the NFF president requested that an undisclosed amount of money be paid to the account of the Mediterranean Sports Ltd as support for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Ordinarily, money requested by the federation to support them for the world cup suppose to be paid into NFF's and not third party account.