Africa
Nigerian Football Clubs With The Best Branding

In the Nigerian Professional Football League, ironically things and teams are not runned professionally, logistics preparations, players salaries and welfare are difficult for clubsides to properly manage.
While this might be rampant with Government owned teams, privately owned clubsides do not fare any better in this category of things. Social media handles are rarely utilized to its fullest capacity with clubs social handles left empty, makes you wonder what else media officers of these clubs do.
As the regular season is over with clubs turning their attentions to the Aiteo Cup where the remaining CAF Confederations Cup Ticket lies we take a look at the few Nigerian clubsides who understand the importance of Branding in football and club management.
ENYIMBA
Facebook: Enyimba Fc
Tweeter: @enyimbafc
Instagram:
With regards to clubs plying their trades in the top flight of the Nigerian professional football league, Enyimba FC of Aba is heads above the rest. Not only in laurels are the Elephants massive but also in the use of social media, branding, Creation of awareness for matches and fans participation.
However, Enyimba in terms of jerseys are not really impressive with their Blue home kit and white alternative which sometimes can be yellow, also the clubside do not have shirt sponsors despite having 2 CAF Champions League trophy in their history.
Nevertheless, the Aba based team is the number one Nigerian clubside with the highest number of online followership across social media
GBAGADA FC
Facebook: Gbagada Football club
Tweeter:@gbagadafc
Instagram:
I see someone wonder what club is this or where are they from. For many in the south West Nigeria or particularly in Lagos, GBAGADA FC is the next big thing in terms of proper branding and running of a professional football club.
#GFCCED pic.twitter.com/VT0XuZtDBl
— Gbagada FC (@gbagadafc) July 26, 2019
However, despite being a semi-professional clubside plying their trade in the third division, Nigeria Nationwide League one, GBAGADA FC posses almost everything a professional football side should have but which most NPFL clubs lack.
From shirt sponsors, to proper branding, professional social media handling and graphics designs, the Lagos based team is a total package of good branding. The team also publish a monthly magazine about the team and also make available.
What more can you ask for when you get match highlights regularly after every match on the club’s social media as well as interviews of players and their coaches
Football loving Lagosians can’t wait to see GBAGADA in the top flight and we understand why.
REMO STARS
Facebook: Remo stars FC
Tweeter: @Remostarsfc
Instagram:
Remo stars is a model private Clubside for other privately owned clubsides, at least brand-wise even Ifeanyi Ubah doesn’t come close. Just as the clubside have a structure which stretches down to the U13 level, also does it have good branding and package.
Our youth side, (@remostarsfcyfd) joined & participated in the @AMAPROOfficial #AMAPRO19 yesterday at the Ilorin Township Stadium, they played out a 2-2 draw with Pro Leaguers & defeated Kings Sports FC 1-0 later in the evening.
They face @Tiyu_Magazine & @jazzystarsfclub today! pic.twitter.com/O8bkEDbc4T
— Remo Stars FC (@RemoStarsFC) July 25, 2019
The team has a shirt sponsor, partnerships with various other companies and also make a good use of other social media platforms.
AKWA UNITED
Facebook: Akwa United fc
Tweeter: @akwaunited_fc
Instagram:
Akwa United is the closest government owned clubside with the proper branding and packaging, apart from the magnificent Uyo stadium and elegant orange brand colour which they make their jerseys with, the Uyo based team has various other structure and marketing partnerships with companies in the country.
Today, @mfonudoh_10 will receive the @Eunisellfball Golden Boot Award for scoring 10 goals for @AkwaUnited_fc in the just concluded @LMCNPFL season. He will share the award with @Nasarawaunited striker @OfficialSanusi who also scored 10 goals.
Congratulations boys! pic.twitter.com/J31eQCSe6x— Akwa United FC (@AkwaUnited_fc) June 28, 2019
Some of them includes a shirt sponsorship, sponsorship deal with an airline company which took the team to away games last season, the team also make good use of its social media handles
Other notable mentions includes
RIGHT TO WIN FOOTBALL ACADEMY
Facebook: Right2win
Tweeter: @Right2w
Instagram
We go again tomorrow against Akajiobi United FC.
Friday, July 26, 2019.
4pm at the Okigwe Stadium.
Come all out and cheer us to Victory as usual.#WeAreRight2Win #Right2Win #WeAreGifted #NLO19 pic.twitter.com/qfhgSXqOIf
— Right2Win (@Right2W) July 25, 2019
A newly founded football academy playing in the Nationwide league one, the team has a good branding activities on the social media platforms
RIVERS UNITED
Facebook: Rivers united football club
Tweeter: @Riversunitedfc
Instagram
Our squad#RUFC pic.twitter.com/rIVJSqfSsI
— Rivers United FC (@RiversUnitedFC) July 4, 2019
Rivers united in comparison with various other NPFL clubside are decent when we consider branding. The team has a shirt sponsorship with eunisell.

Africa
FIFA Congress To Decide Future Host Of FIFA Women’s World Cup™

Council assigns FIFA Women’s World Cup™ hosting decision to the football governing body’s Congress; also approves financial statements for 2020 and budget for 2022.
Meeting by video conference, the Council conferred to the Congress the decision to award Women’s World Cup™ hosting rights.
Until now, the decision has been taken by the FIFA Council, most recently in June 2020 when the hosting rights for the 2023 edition were awarded to Australia and New Zealand.
As the football governing body seeks to raise the profile of the women’s game, this represents a significant step to bring the Women’s World Cup in line with the flagship men’s competition.
The proposal will be put forward for a final decision by the 71st FIFA Congress, which will meet virtually (for the second time) on 21 May.
International match calendar and release of players.
The FIFA Council received a report on the international football situation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bureau of the Council had extended to April 2021 the temporary amendments to the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players regarding the release of players for international duty, and FIFA, the confederations, and its member associations remain in dialogue with national authorities about exemptions from quarantine rules for national team players.
READ ALSO: Mosengo-Omba Is CAF New General Secretary
The FIFA Council recognized that the highest priority in football is the health of the players, and therefore the discussion around the release of players for international duty must maintain this perspective, especially as the public health situation develops around the world.
2020 financials and 2022 budget
The Council also approved the organization’s Annual Report, which contains the financial statements for 2020 and the budget for 2022.
The FIFA Annual Report 2020 focuses on the role played by world football’s governing body in the fight against COVID-19, primarily through the unprecedented COVID-19 Relief Plan, which has made available USD 1.5 billion to support FIFA’s 211 member associations and the confederations through times of financial uncertainty.
The FIFA Annual Report 2020 is available on the official site.
FIFA Arab Cup 2021™
The Council approved the competition regulations for the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, confirming the match schedule and draw procedure for the competition taking place in Qatar from 1 to 18 December this year.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Fédération Internationale de Football Association.
Africa
Paul Onuachu: A Victim Of Tactical Deficiency

Ever wondered why Genk forward Paul Onuachu has always been a prolific figure for his club and find it hard to replicate that form with the Super Eagles when invited?
The Nigeria international has been in awesome form for the Blue-White, scoring 26 goals in the Jupiler League this season for Genk, while his scoring prowess at his club has been a contrast to his form with the national team under Gernot Rohr scoring just once in 9 games despite being a top performer at club level.
Ahead of the AFCON qualifier doubleheader against Lesotho and the Benin Republic, Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr named his 23 man list with the inform former Midtjylland forward listed as one of the standby players.
Onuachu’s struggles with the Super Eagles in previous games he featured is quite baffling, considering the excitement that greeted his first appearance with the national team plus the impressive form he’s currently in.
The job of every manager is to find a suitable position or fashion out tactics that would be suitable for their players in other to blend with the team approaches to every match. In Onuachu’s case, he hasn’t been fortunate enough to blend in with Rohr’s tactics. While at club level, Midtjylland plays to his strength.
However, due to Napoli’s players been restricted from traveling, the Genk forward made it through the backdoor to replace Gernot Rohr’s number one forward Victor Osimhen who hasn’t really hit the ground running with the ‘Partenopei‘, but when with the Eagles, he never fails to deliver.
It’s no doubt that the lanky striker has failed to deliver in his previous games, disappointing the ever-demanding Nigerian football enthusiasts with unforgiving backlashes from the fans. However, his prolific prowess with his club suggests otherwise and consistently makes a case for him to be integrated into the team with a different tactical approach that suits his style.
The era of a target man may have been long gone in football due to the advent of new tactics that have brought about a series of changes in the game. With managers preferring to go with a fast, skillful, or makeshift winger- kind of striker, instead of a target man.
READ ALSO: Super Eagles: 9 Players Who Netted On Debut
Looking at how Paul Onuachu plays with Genk upfront shows he’s one of the best target men in football, despite been perceived by many as a slow and old-fashioned kind of forward. However, John van den Bromm has been able to carve out a tactic that suits him which has been evident with his prolific form irrespective of his style of play.
Onuachu’s Super Eagle future might be on the knife-edge with Gernot Rohr not finding the right tactics that suit the Genk forward, especially with him not been consider as the go-to man despite his blistering runs of form in Belgium.
In recent times Rohr’s philosophy of vibrant attacking football with an emphasis on passing in the final third which requires the expertise of brilliant players to implement such tactics hasn’t really favored him.
Having a player in the mold of Onuachu gives Rohr another tactical option and an alternative style of play should the initial approach fails to work as expected, but the German tactician hasn’t really taken advantage of what the man could offer with a different opponent.
Onuachu’s presence in the Super Eagles team should be an added advantage in terms of variety when the normal approach of the manager fails. With an in-form striker on the bench, it could prove valuable, but in the former Midtjylland’s case, Gernot Rohr doesn’t seem to see him as a player that has a future with the national team.
Players in the mold of the Nigerian are quite physically imposing as the point man, though they may not offer the team excellent off-the-ball movement in some cases. However, they often find a way to provide an opportunity which the team could utilize when attacking or defending.
Onuachu’s inability to show a good turn of pace and smart footwork may have been one of the deficiencies that are affecting his chances of blending perfectly into the team.
However, the job of a manager is to help players blend in perfectly, and that’s exactly what Gernot Rohr should be doing. Not only for Onuachu but for every other player who are always finding it hard to replicate club form with the National Team.