By Efe Onodjae

After eight years of waiting for a coaching license, Nigerian filmmaker Pascal Atuma, who resides in Canada, has announced the official launch of Tabic Sports Agency in Nigeria.He revealed this during a press conference in Lagos.

According to Atuma, the process was conducted in a fully open and transparent manner, adhering to Federation International Football Association, FIFA’s “Procedures for the Approval of Agents.”

 Atuma further stated that he took him about eight years to complete the process, as he had to wait to receive an intermediary license from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Speaking at the press briefing, he explained, “Well, it’s a long process because I had to get a coaching license before I could obtain the intermediary license from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). In the NFF, you must have contributed something to football in different capacities before you can receive that license. The process of obtaining the coaching license took me about two years.

“After getting that, I had to return and apply for the intermediary license, which eventually expired. Although it didn’t technically expire, FIFA phased it out globally. FIFA then transitioned to an exam-based system to grant licenses, so it was a long process. It took me eight years.”

On how he plans to combine filmmaking with sports, he said, “I am the CEO, but we have a team, and I have many staff members working with us. In filmmaking, my crew members are different from those in our record label, and the crew for sports is also different. As you can see, the director of sports here has nothing to do with film or music. So, all the experiences I’ve had in my life have prepared me for today.

“Today marks the official launch of Tabic Sports Agency. Our goal is to ensure that no talent is left behind in sports, particularly football. We want to take gifted players and turn them into professional footballers and world-class athletes, like Kanu Nwankwo, Samuel Eto’o, and others.

“We will have representatives in all 36 states of the country. We don’t need to go to each state to pick players. We’ll rely on coaches from various clubs to recommend their best players, and then we will evaluate them in Abuja or Lagos. We are always available across all social media platforms.”

Some of the team members includes, Mr. Mba Ndubuisi John, Director of Operations- Africa & Europe, Mr. Chuck Ajoku (Director of Operations -North America, Australia & New Zealand) amongst others.