SPORTS
NB PLC Deepens Support For Football As Goldberg, Life Are Official Beers Of National Teams
Nigerian Breweries Plc has again extended its long-standing partnership with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday, November 17, 2022, with the announcement of Goldberg Premium Lager Beer and Life Continental Lager Beer, as “The Official Beers of the Super Eagles.”
The announcement comes as the brewing giant reaffirms its commitment to refreshing football fans and providing world-class football experiences football.
Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende commended Nigerian Breweries for their continuous commitment to the beautiful game of football especially locally and at the grassroots level.
“It is commendable that Nigerian Breweries is dedicated not just to the international scene but also shows great commitment and support to repositioning football at the local level.
“It is no surprise that this time, they are entering the space with two iconic brands,” he said.
“Nigerian Breweries has chosen to deepen their love for the game as well as the Super Eagles at a time when we are all dedicated to the mission of repositioning our national teams for local and global excellence while building a sustainable football culture for the country,” Hon. Mobolaji added.
“Goldberg and Life lager beers are set to transform the football experience in Nigeria,” said Ita Bassey, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lagers, Nigerian Breweries.
“This announcement today will extend beyond the game. It allows us to strengthen our bond with consumers and football fans through our shared values. These two brands share values with the game of football and its fans; values such as teamwork, hard work, perseverance, and progress.
“With these two brands, we have the unique opportunity to engage and excite Nigerians using various football assets. It also demonstrates our continued commitment to football in Nigeria at all levels, especially grass root and community football, as well as our support for the communities in which we operate,” Ita Bassey said.
Also commenting, Aishat Anaekwe, Senior Brand Manager, Life Continental Lager Beer, said “We are very excited about the partnership between Nigerian Breweries Plc and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). With this partnership, we hope to continue celebrating the true Nigerian spirit fuelled by our shared values of brotherhood, culture and progress”.
On his part, Olaoluwa Babalola, Senior Brand Manager, Goldberg assured that Goldberg would continue to live up to its ethos of celebrating hard work and enjoyment.
“We are proud of our partnership with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF). We will continue to push the enjoyment of the beautiful game of football across all levels and will give our fans and consumers the platform and avenue to share their passion for the game as they enjoy football with a cold bottle or can of Goldberg lager beer,” Olaoluwa remarked.
Ex-football nationals Mutiu Adepoju, Julius Aghahowa, football administrators, management of Nigerian Breweries, sports marketing organisations, and the media among other stakeholders were in attendance at the event, which was held at the Eko Hotel and Suites.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been announced as the award winner for the Italian Footballers’ Association Footballer of the Year for his outstanding performance with the Napolitans last season.
Osimhen’s 26 goals were crucial in the Partenopei winning their first Scudde in 33 years.
Other awards presented during the Monday night presentation were team of the year, coach of the year, club of the year, and goal of the season.
Despite a difficult start to the 2023-24 season and subsequent injury troubles, Osimhen has maintained his outstanding goals-per-game ratio, with six from ten following the 14th game week.
Rafael Leao, Gianluigi Buffon, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrea Pirlo, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have previously received the honour.
Dr. Alex Otti, Governor of Abia State, has declared that his administration is serious about using sports to connect the people and grow the state’s economy.
Governor Otti made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation from Sports Nigeria, a private-sector initiative aimed at bringing the government and the business sector together to harness talent and develop sports infrastructure in Nigeria.
“We are very deliberate about using sports to unite our people who could support our economy and also to do a few other things that we have mentioned here,” the Governor stated.
He stated that Abia State is endowed with tremendous abilities and promised to support any initiative aimed at harnessing them for the development and growth of the state’s sports industry.
The State Chief Executive Officer revealed that the Nsulu Games Village in Isiala Ngwa North has already been designated as an entertainment and games village.
Dr. Otti went on to say that the state already has a quality production brand that would be given greater attention in terms of manufacturing. He told the team that the details of its presentation would be investigated and areas of interest for collaboration found, and he commended the delegation for its commitment in sports development in the state.
Earlier, while making a presentation to the Governor on a document titled, “Abia State Sports Infrastructure Investment – A Value Proposition”, the Chief Executive Officer, Sports Nigeria and Chairperson, Nigerian Football League, Mrs. Nkechi Obi, said her organisation specialises on facilitating cross sectional alliances to build sports.
She sought the commitment of Abia State Government in providing necessary support for the development of the framework, strategy policy and implementation plans critical to sports infrastructural development, disclosing that Abia stands to benefit bountifully through community empowerment, job creation and economic growth, social cohesion and health wellness.
According to her, everything that is needed for sports development is supposed to be done at the State level and stressed the need for Abia to leverage sports to boost development.
As Liverpool locks horns with LASK Thursday night, Jurgen Klopp wants goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to seize his chance when deputising for Alisson in the Europa League.
Alisson sustained an injury in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City and is expected to be sidelined for two weeks.
Kelleher has featured five times this season across the Carabao Cup and Europa League.
“He [Kelleher] would have played anyway,” Klopp said.
“He deserves his opportunity to get a few more games and hopefully he can show his full potential.”
The Republic of Ireland international has started three games in the Europa League this campaign, conceding five goals, but the Reds top Group E as they prepare to face bottom side LASK at Anfield.
Kelleher has made 25 appearances across all competitions since graduating from Liverpool’s academy to make his senior debut in 2019.
He is also likely to be handed further game time against Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday before trips to Sheffield United and Crystal Palace, and Union St-Gilloise in the Europa League over the next fortnight, while Manchester United visit Anfield on 17 December.
Liverpool are also set to be without forward Diogo Jota after the Portuguese limped off at the Etihad.
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