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Nigeria and Nike renew football partnership

Nigeria striker Alex Iwobi's Nike cleats. Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images

Nigeria have renewed their equipment partnership with global sportswear manufacture Nike for the next four years, with an option for another four, NFF President Amaju Pinnick announced on Tuesday.

The new contract could see the NFF committed to Nike until 2026, and comes in the wake of a successful partnership which saw the Super Eagles' World Cup kit earn rave reviews across the world.

"This four plus four deal is the best any African country has ever had with Nike," Pinnick told the media, without going into figures but adding: "I can say it is about hundred percent better than anything else."

Shehu Dikko, the NFF's Vice President and head of marketing, said that the new deal was a massive improvement on the previous one, and included the women's and youth teams as well.

"To start with, this new contract now encompasses not just supply of kit, but also base compensation, which was missing from the last contract," Dikko began.

"There are increased performance bonuses, and increased percentage royalties from sales of merchandise.

"There is also specific provision made for the women's team and the junior teams that was missing from the last contract.

"And to avoid the situation we had recently with clearing our products at the port which led to our women's team travelling without kit, Nike will now take the responsibility to deliver equipment door to door anywhere our teams are.

"This shows the trust Nike have in the NFF," Dikko continued.

Tina Salminen, Nike's Regional Sports Marketing Director for Africa, expressed excitement at the new deal, with the previous one ending at the conclusion of the World Cup in July this year.

"We are very honoured and excited to continue this cooperation with the NFF," Salminen said.

"I don't think anybody had any idea how successful the Nigeria World Cup kit would be. It is the first football kit to ever win the London Design Award and we are very proud of that."

Salminen added that the current strip will run until 2020, when a new design will be launched: "Before Olympics 2020, there will be a new design.

"The same designer who did the current kit will design the new one and he is already waiting to come up with something new and we at Nike cannot wait to see what he comes up with."