Mfon Patrick
Online betting company 1XBet and top Nigeria Premier League club, Akwa United have extended their shirt sponsorship deal for another year.
Both brands signed a shirt sponsorship contract during the 2022-23 Nigeria Premier Football League season. At the expiration of the deal, the two parties agreed to extend the mutually beneficial contract and the new partnership is expected to cover the upcoming 2023-24 NPFL season.
Speaking on the company’s decision to extend the sponsorship deal with Akwa United, the Managing Director of 1XBet in Nigeria Dr Oluwafemi Babalola noted that the company is impressed with the club’s passion and quest for success in Nigeria club football.
“We at 1XBet are proud that this deal has been renewed. We appreciate the fact that the club is always ambitious every season. We believe that this partnership will give the club some form of stability and support.
“We are totally committed to supporting the development of football in Nigeria through this partnership. We have enjoyed wonderful visibility and cooperation on all the club’s social media platforms as well as with all the amazing fans of this great club.
“Akwa United is determined to take revenge this year and return to the title race. It’s even easier now that the new contract has been signed and that means the club will focus exclusively on football. We are optimistic that with the passionate fans within and outside Nigeria solidly behind Akwa United, the club will continue to grow and more successes will be recorded in the coming season,” Babalola said.
The global bookmaker is the official partner of top leagues such as Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga and French Ligue 1 as well as top clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and LOSC Lille.
In his remarks, Chairman of Akwa United Elder Paul Bassey described 1XBet as a worthy partner and expressed appreciation to the company for their interest in the club.
Bassey said: “We are excited that the first partnership deal was very successful for both parties. We are equally delighted that this deal has been renewed for another football season.
“Let me reassure everyone at 1XBet that this partnership will continue to be beneficial and rewarding to both parties. We will continue to pass your promotional messages and also drive your products and services to our many fans who are ever-ready to win together with the club.”
Akwa United is unarguably the most successful football club in Nigeria in the last eight years having won two FA Cups in 2015 and 2017 as well as the NPFL trophy in 2021.
The club ended last season in fourth place in Group B losing out on the championship playoffs on goals difference to eventual league winners Enyimba International.