Nneka Ede Becomes First Nigerian To Buy European Club

Nigeria’s Nneka Ede has emerged as one of the few Africans to own a European club after she bought Portuguese side, Lusitano Ginásio Clube, Futebol, SAD, AKA Lusitano de Évora.

A statement from the Campeonato de Portuguese side said her ownership of the 108-year-old club followed months of negotiations, describing the Nigerian as “passionate and fiery about football.”

“After months of negotiations with different entities, an agreement has been reached with Mrs Nneka Ede,” the club said, “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.”

According to Mrs Ede,  the development opens a new chapter in her life that she hopes will deepen the sporting relationship between Nigeria and Portugal.

She also hopes her ownership of the Portuguese third division will provide a pathway for the development of young talents.

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“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,” she noted.

This article was most recently revised and updated 5 years ago

Efe Bridget is a writer at GoalBall. She is a graduate of Mass Communication with 12 years of experience working with reputable publications.