IfeanyiUbah to wear same jersey with West Ham next season

By Akeem Lawal

FC IFEANYI Ubah will be wearing the same type of jersey dorn by English Premier League outfit, West Ham United for their home games of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) next season.

The Hammers traditional claret and blue colours shirt, accompanied by solid white shorts with light blue trim will be worn by both clubs in their respective league.

This innovation which was part of the deal officially signed on Wednesday night at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos will also be looking at interest which ranges from scouting, football development, transfer of players, going to England during summers to play friendly match with West Ham, promotion of merchandise.

 

Present at the event included Proprietor of FC Ifeanyi Ubah, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah; Managing Director of West Ham United, Angus Kinnear; Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick; Chairman, League Management Company, Shehu Dikko; Chairman Senate Committee on Sports, Obinna Ogba and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports, representing the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung.

Super Eagles midfielder, John Ogu and former Nigeria internationals including Taribo West, Peter Rufai, Friday Elahor, Julius Aghahowa, Victor Agali, Henry Nwosu, Joseph Yobo and Godwin Opara were present at the event.

Commenting on the deal, Dr. Ubah said: "Our aim is to work with best world practice. Whatever that you see in London, I am sure in the next couple of months, you will start seeing the same thing in Nigeria. I want to reveal to you that FC Ifeanyi Ubah and West Ham will wear the same jersey next season. 

“Our business is to start getting our children to have football consciousness, have passion for football, play football and let us see how a country like Nigeria will not produce at least 10 Messis and 10 Ronaldos in the next four years.

"In our football, we are not producing enough players but we are highly talented. So partnering with West Ham, we have a lot of interest in terms of revenue for our club, in terms of partnering with a good brand, in terms of partnering with the best football academy in the world which West Ham is known for.

"Also, we are looking at interest which ranges from scouting, football development, transfer of players, going to England during summers to play friendly match with West Ham, promotion of our merchandise.

"So what we have with West Ham is multi-dimensional. And at the end of the day we are promoting a very strong Nigerian brand in England."

In his speech, Kinnear said: "When West Ham go into partnership, we are very selective. We only want to partner with people that share our vision and values. In Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah and Capital Oil and Gas, we found that. We found a group of companies with extraordinary vision and a real pioneering experience.

 

"And what we were also pleased to see was that this wasn't empty words, this was ambition and vision backed up by action. We only have to look at the fantastic progress Ifeanyi Ubah have made in the last two years to see that this is a team, a company and a man that deliver.”