Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River has announced an increase in the subvention of Rovers Football Club of Calabar from N5 million to N10 million in a bid to reposition the club.
Otu made the announcement when the management team of Rovers FC paid him a courtesy visit in Calabar.
Rovers football club, one of the nation’s most popular clubs, now competes in the Nigeria National League, NNL.
Otu said the increase in sponsorship for the club underscored his determination to reposition football and sports in general to boost the performance of players and athletes in Cross River.
He promised to provide the team with a brand new bus in 2025 as well as look into other teething challenges facing the football club.
He lauded the management and players of the team for standing by the team with a rich history in the annals of Nigerian football amid under-funding.
“Let me thank and congratulate the management and players of the Cub for what you have been doing over the years; Rovers is a club with a very rich history.
“While I direct that immediate medical attention be given to injured footballers in the club, I want to state that my government is poised to promote sports as a business,” Otu said.
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He also used the opportunity to commend the team’s 18-year-old goalkeeper, Clinton Andy, who was on international duty with Nigeria’s Under-20 national team.
He prayed for more open doors for the players as they pursued their football dreams.
The governor charged players and members of staff of Rovers FC to double their efforts in the hope of returning the club to its pride of place as a major force in Nigerian football.
Speaking, the Commissioner for Sports Development, Mrs. Agnes Atsu, said the players’ visit to the governor became necessary for them to present some challenges facing the club.
Also speaking, the club’s captain, Inyang Asuquo, highlighted some of the team’s challenges, including inadequate funding, rickety team buses, poor medical attention, and inadequate funding for players.
Asuquo thanked the governor for his swift response through the increment of subvention for the team and other positive assurances given to the team.
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