NFF warns, demands compensation from Airtel over ambush marketing of Super Eagles

NFF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

NFF warns, demands compensation from Airtel over ambush marketing of Super Eagles

The Nigeria Football Federation has threatened legal action against telecom company, Airtel Nigeria over the latter’s ambush marketing of the senior men national football, Super Eagles, currently campaigning at the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.

In a letter submitted to the company by NFF’s solicitors, Festus Keyamo Chambers, the nation’s supreme football-governing body took particular exception to an image on Airtel Nigeria’s verified instagram handle which had live pictures of 4 players of the Super Eagles as well as a trademarked logo of the NFF and a logo of Airtel beside each other in a single box, and containing the phrases “We are with you, Eagles!” and ‘#FeelTheConnection’ which gave the impression that there is a collaboration between the NFF and Airtel Nigeria. “Your organization has thereby engaged in passing off as the said publications are a misleading advertisement that suggests the association of your organization with the NFF and its affiliates.

“Our client holds the view that this publication was made maliciously as you are aware that the NFF has a sponsorship contract with a competing brand. The purpose of the publication was to destroy our client’s relationship with her partners and sponsors thereby depriving our client of revenue while exploiting the goodwill of the NFF brand and the success of the Super Eagles to give your business exposure.

“Our client is dissatisfied with the foregoing action carried out by your organization and has directed us to explore all lawful means to secure redress for them.”

The solicitors went ahead to, on behalf of the NFF, “demand immediate removal of the offending publications and all similar publications from your Instagram page and all other social media pages belonging to your organization; a cessation of any further publication in the manner of the publication complained about in this letter and; the immediate payment of the sum of N1,000,000,000,00 (One Billion Naira) only as compensation for our client’s loss of revenue, loss of reputation as general damages.”