2025 President Federation Cup: NFF Strategic Partners, GTI, happy with progress, NFF fix state finals for February 23

By Harry Awurumibe,  Editor, Abuja Bureau

Apparently satisfied with the smooth running of  the 2025 President Federation Cup, which has entered the state finals, the current official sponsors of the oldest football competition in Nigeria,  GTI Asset Management & Trust Limited, have said it is committed to the promotion of football in Nigeria.

This is even the NFF has placed a fine of N1,000,000.00 on any state Football Association (FA) that fails to conclude the 2025 President Federation Cup finals on Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23, 2025 and subsequently submit the two state’s representatives for the national preliminaries on the same dates respectively.

An official letter signed by Ms Ruth David, NFF Director Competitions which has been despatched to the 36 state FAs and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) FA stated clearly that any FA that fails to play its FA Cup final on February 22 and February 23, 2025 will be fined 100,000,000.00 “except in special cases and as approved by the NFF”.

Meanwhile, a top official of GTI, the  NFF Strategic Partners in the management of President Federation Cup,  Nelson Ine exclusively told Prompt News in a chat that one of the leading fund/portfolio management and trustee firms in Nigeria is happy with the way the competition is progressing, arguing that the results that have come from the states showed that surprises have been recorded as some big clubs have been eliminated.

For example, a non-league club, Ahudiya Nnem FC, dumped out Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club, Abia Warriors from  the 2025 Abia State Federation Cup, Prompt News can confirm.

The Abiriba-based  amateur side defeated the Abia Warriors, last year’s finalists 3-1 on penalities after the match ended one goal apiece in the regulation time in the semi-final of the state’s Federation Cup decided at the Umuahia Township Stadium a week ago.

With the state finals slated for next weekend, Ine believes that more surprises are on the way, and GTI is strongly supporting the NFF to continue to make the competition more attractive to top clubs in Nigeria to look forward to participate year after year.

Ms. David, who is overseeing the President Federation Cup competition, said that she is happy with the outcome of the decided matches at the states  level even as she believes the 2025 edition will be better than the previous editions.

Recall that GTI splashed the sum of N50,000,000.00 on El Kanemi Warriors winners of the 2025 President Federation Cup while the sum of N20,000,000.00 went to the runners-up, Abia Warriors FC.

Also, winners of President Federation Cup  (women), Rivers Angels got the sum of N25,000,000.00 while runners-up Naija Ratel FC received the sum of N10,000,000.00 respectively.