TheCable

The League Management Company (LMC) has disclosed that the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) highest goal scorer award would be named after Rashidi Yekini.

Shehu Dikko, chairman of the LMC, said the decision to name the trophy after one of Nigeria’s most prolific forwards was chosen by the board to immortalise the player.

“There is a broad plan to institute awards and honour outstanding players, officials, key stakeholders and fans in the league at the end of every season and there are a number of factors that led us to reach the decision to name one of these awards, that of the highest goal scorer after the late Rashidi Yekini. The awards are part of strategic plans of the LMC to create commercial value and additional revenues out of the assets inherent in the league property,” he said.

“We considered the aspiration factor which seeks to let the players know that they too can become national heroes if they achieve excellence and make a success of their career. It says to them that they too can become legends of the game and the society will honour them as we have sought to honour the late Yekini.”

Dikko said that a monetary incentive and other social benefits will be attached to the awards.

“We have received a request from the Rashidi Yekini Foundation to provide additional cash support to the winner and we are studying their proposal. There are already plans to officially unveil the special trophy for this award at one of the league game venues.”

The LMC chairman disclosed that the NPFL Awards is a long term project of the body open to corporate sponsors in both headline and other supporting categories for which some corporate firms are already holding talks with the LMC on their potential participation in the NPFL Awards.

Yekini started his career with United Textile Mills Limited (UNTL) Kaduna before joining IICC Shooting Stars, now Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan. He later moved to the defunct Abiola Babes before he joined Africa Sports of Cote d’Ivoire.

The 1993 Africa Footballer of the Year scored 37 goals in 58 games for the Super Eagles. He died on May 4, 2012.