A cheque for N100m has been presented to 3SC of Ibadan, winners of the inaugural edition of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation pre-season tournament.
It will be recalled that the ‘Oluyole Warriors’ as 3SC are called, had defeated former African champions Enyimba FC 3-2 in the final of the tournament which featured two other NPFL clubs Bendel Insurance and Rangers of Enugu.
Making the official presentation Tuesday in Abuja, the Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NPFL, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeyele, said the cash prize is for 3SC alone.
This was to dispel the speculation in some quarters that the N100m was to be shared among the four clubs that participated in the tournament.
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“We are here to officially hand over the N100m prize money to 3SC. This money is for them to take care of their internal mechanisms and the welfare of their players.
“We want players in the league to earn at least N1m. It is for this reason that we are bringing commercial value to the league,” he said.
Elegbeleye also disclosed that the next edition of the tournament would feature the top eight clubs in the Nigerian topflight.
Also speaking, IMC’s Head of Operations, Davidson Owumi, said initially it was hard to believe that a whopping N100m was to be won by a single club.
He, however, said transparent handling of all financial dealings by the IMC is opening the door for more sponsors to come into the league.
Sponsors of the tournament, Dozy Foundation and Tingo Media also promised enhanced packages for the clubs in the next edition.
On his part, the Sole Administrator of 3SC, Hon. Olaniyan Babatunde, thanked the IMC and the sponsor as he said “It has never been this good.”
