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Radio France Internationale, RFI, the state-owned international radio news network of France, has made a strategic entry into football sponsorship as front-of-shirt sponsor of former Nigerian champions, Kano Pillars.
The sponsorship for the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League season which covers cash and kind worth N100m is the biggest sponsorship deal for the club.
With the deal, RFI now occupies the front of the club’s shirt for the 2025/26 NPFL season.
With over 59.5 million listeners , it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with Deutsche Welle, the BBC World Service and Voice of America.
sportbusinessbrand.com learnt that rfi seeks to leverage on Pillars’ strength as the strongest football club in Northern Nigeria to boost its presence in the region and win the battle for the attention of Hausa listeners.
Head of Hausa section of Radio France, Joseph Penny, accompanied by Editor-in-Chief Bashir Ibrahim Idris, represented the new sponsors while General Manager of Kano Pillars, Ahmed Musa and his secretary, led the club’s delegation during the signing of the deal.
According to Penny, “This is the first time that the RFI has sponsored anything related to the game of football in history”.
As part its sponsorship, RFI will utilize its social media handles to boost overage of the club, provide Sports Kits as well as enhance the club’s digital media growth with equipment and training of personnel.
Responding, Musa expressed satisfaction with the development.
Pillars were Nigerian champions in 2008, 2012, 2013 as well as 2014 and claimed the Nigerian Cup, in 2019.
The sponsorship will boost engagement with the Hausa community as well as promote community development and cultural preservation.
