July 21, (THEWILL) – Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, has given each player on the state-owned football team, Rivers United, $20,000, or more than N12 million, as reward for winning the Nigerian Professional Football League.
It is the club’s first League title and came in a season in which they dominated the standings for the majority of the time, finishing with 77 points, 10 more than second-placed Plateau United. Such was their form that they won the League with no fewer than three games left in the season.
The reward celebration was held in the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt, with the governor taking pictures with the team. Wike’s incentives for the victorious team did not stop with the cash windfall, as he revealed that arrangements had been made for the squad to spend two weeks of preseason practice in Madrid, Spain.
There was still more because the governor guaranteed the Rivers United players and management an additional $40,000 if they advance to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League competition group stage next season.
The club’s second-place result in the 2016 Nigerian League earned them an inaugural CAF Champions League berth in 2017. Another second place Nigeria Professional Football League finish in the 2020/2021 season, gave their second participation in the Champions League. Next year, they enter as champions.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
