Nigerian Entrepreneur Nneka Ede Becomes First African Woman To Own European Club, Lusitano Ginasio Clube

Nigerian entrepreneur, Nneka Ede has become the first African woman to own a European football club after buying Lusitano Ginasio Clube, Futebol, SAD, a Portuguese third division side.

Ede secured 100 percent ownership of the 108-years-old club which last played in the Portuguese top-flight division in the 1950’s for an undisclosed amount.

The statement from the club read;

After months of negotiations with different entities, an agreement has been reached with Mrs Nneka Ede, a sports enthusiast and entrepreneur from Nigeria, a country filled with people as passionate and fiery about football as us and which incidentally share the same green and white in their flags, towards the transfer of the ownership of the SAD to the latter that will help us in our mission to take Lusitano to the next level.

Speaking on the development, Ede said her recent acquisition will help foster a greater relationship between Portugal and Nigeria.

She stressed;

I am excited about this opportunity and I hope that this new chapter will deepen the already great sporting relations between Nigeria and Portugal, continue with the rich history of Lusitano club and provide a pathway for young talent to develop and shine through.

With the new acquisition, Mrs Ede has also becomes the second Nigerian to purchase a Portuguese club after businessman Kunle Soname bought Clube Desportivo Feirense in 2015.

The club was founded on November 11, 1911 by a group of high school and commercial school youngsters.

The name Lusitano was derived from Lusitania, the Roman name for the province corresponding to the current territory of Portugal south of the Douro river and to the modern-day Spanish region of Extremadura.

The club, which has a long and rich history spanning over a century, has Abraham Adelaja, a Nigerian forward, in his squad.

Lusitano FC reached their pinnacle in the 1950’s when the club competed for 14 consecutive seasons in the Primeira Divisão (First Division or tier 1).

They still hold a proud record of being in the top 30 of teams with the most presences in the Portuguese topflight.