TheCable

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) alongside the League Management Company (LMC) have sealed a multi-faceted strategic agreement with the Football Federation and Premier League body of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The agreement will largely border on the development of football in both countries.

NFF president Amaju Pinnick and Shehu Dikko,2nd vice president/LMC chairman, put pen to paper on a memorandum of understanding with their Moroccan counterparts on Thursday.

The FA presidents sealed the pact at the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football in Rabat, while Dikko and chairman of the Ligue Nationale de Football Professionnel, Sa’id Naciri, signed at the LNFP office, watched by the two FA bosses.

Both Pinnick and FRMF president Fouzi Lekjaa are members of the CAF executive committee.

“The strategic partnership is for technical development, exchange of ideas and contacts, training support, friendly matches, use of facilities and joint marketing where necessary,” Dikko explained.

“Morocco has one of the best technical centres globally and they are still developing it, and they are delighted to make the facilities available for use by the national teams of Nigeria and Nigerian clubs.

“The Kingdom also has one of the most innovative structure in managing the domestic media rights of both their national teams and the elite League, which we intend to replicate.

“The agreement between the two League bodies is to collaborate in areas of mutual interests between the Leagues and participating Clubs.

“The Moroccan FA only recently set up an independent elite League body in line with global practice, and wants to learn from LMC governance structure of the NPFL.

“On their side, they would help our clubs understand the structure and principles of community club ownership, elite players development, youth development et cetera.

“It is all about fostering mutually beneficial relationships.”