COURT HEARS GLOBACOM'S LEAGUE SPONSORSHIP SUIT JANUARY 11

A FEDERAL High Court, Lagos at the weekend fixed hearing on the suit filed by telecommunications giant, Globacom Nigeria Limited, against the Nigerian Football League (NFL) over the award of premier league title right to another telecommunications firm, MTN Nigeria Limited, for the 11th of this month.

Trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, fixed the date to enable the defence, which was served the court processes last Thursday, to file its objections to the suit. Counsel to the plaintiff has on Friday told the court that the defendants were making moves to take actions that could undermine the suit.

However, the defence counsel said that no such moves were being taken, adding that they were very mindful of the court case. They prayed for more time to file their objections to the suit, adding that they were just served with the processes on Thursday and that the law permits them to put in their processes within seven days of receipt.

In the suit, Globacom is claiming that the tenets of due process were ignored by the NFL in the award of the sponsorship right to MTN. Globacom averred that it was surprised when the bid announcement was made to the effect that MTN had won the title sponsorship right, even when it (MTN) did not participate in the bid process.

Joined as defendants in the suit were MTN, Nigerian Football Association (NFA) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) as co-defendants. According to an affidavit in support of the suit deposed to by the Sponsorship Manager of Globacom, Harrison Iwala, the plaintiff (Globacom) maintained that the suit was informed by the refusal of the NFL to strictly adhere to the principle of due process in the award of the sponsorship right, and that there were major discrepancies in the entire process.

The plaintiff, therefore, wants the court to issue an injunction restraining the NFL from awarding the NPL title right to MTN, which it claimed, did not participate in the bid process.