Puma to sue AFN over ‘breach of contract’

Sunday Adeleye, the technical director of the factional Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) board, says Puma, the German sportswear company, will sue the body to court for alleged breach of contract. 

The sportswear company on Wednesday 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.

Speaking on Arise TV on Thursday, Adeleye said 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,” he said.

“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.”

The contract was signed on July 24, 2019, in Doha by the AFN board under Ibrahim Gusau.

It was expected to expire in 2022 and has been the genesis of a major crisis that the athletics body is battling to date.

A significant section of the deal stated that Puma will supply kits to all age categories of the Nigerian athletics team for four years.

However, the contract has led to an ongoing legal battle between the sports ministry and the factional board of AFN.

Consequently, the ministry failed to allow the Nigerian athletics team to don the Puma branded apparel at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, arguing that it’s “a subject of a criminal investigation.”