German sportswear company, Puma might sue Nigeria’s Athletics body, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) to court for alleged breach of contract.
Disclosing this is the technical director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Sunday Adeleye during an interview with Arise TV on Thursday.
Adeleye said that Puma has been “sending documents from their legal department” adding that the company “will go to court.”
“The contract is a non-disclosure one. It is between PUMA and AFN with FMYSD’s permission. We warned that this may lead to litigation and wrote to all parties involved, including finance and justice ministries,
“We are sure that PUMA will go to court on this matter. Their officials have called that they are sending documents from their legal department. We wrote the minister on the implications for Nigeria. This won’t make other companies deal with Nigeria.” he said.
The sportswear company on Wednesday, 4th August, 2021 terminated the 4-year kits sponsorship contract with the federation, citing the failure of Nigerian athletes to wear the brand at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.
The contract was signed on July 24, 2019, in Doha by the AFN board under Ibrahim Gusau, and expected to expire in 2022.
However, the ministry failed to allow the Nigerian athletics team to put on the Puma branded apparel at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, which has been the genesis of a major crisis that the athletics body is battling to date.