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Godwin Enakhena reveals reason behind Sporting Lagos incredible rise
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Chairman of the newly promoted Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side, Sporting Lagos, Godwin Enakhena says the team was established strictly for business purposes.
The Lagos based side was established in 2022 and gained promotion to the top flight this year from the second-tier Nigeria National League (NNL) after the conclusion of the Naija Super 8.
Enakhena, who also masterminded the promotion of MFM FC to the NPFL in 2015 before its relegation in 2022, spoke on how Sporting Lagos came into existence, the mission and vision of the privately owned club, plus the victory ar the just concluded Naija Super 8 tournament.
He also further revealed how he hopes to bring his wealth of experience as a journalist and sports administrator to bear on the Club Owners Association, where he is serving as the General Secretary.
“I am very happy because the hard work put in by the players and their coaches paid off,” Enakhena told Daily Trust Sports.
“And I won’t forget to mention that the investment by the founder of the club, Shola Akinlade, has yielded positive dividends. We are all happy.
“It is simply because it’s a generational team set up strictly for business. A football club that will allow talented youths who crave to exhibit their God-given talents in a very conducive environment while earning very well.
“And Sporting Lagos is a gateway for any of the players that stand out at the end of the season to make it to Europe.”
For one of the youngest teams in the Nigerian football scene to earnestly gain promotion to the topflight, 16 months after establishment is definitely a serious business, according to Enekhena.
“Some 16 months ago, a young tech entrepreneur, Shola Akinlade, reached out to me through one of our colleagues, Colin Udoh, to help set up a football club,” he continued.
“I wondered why it had to be me but Colin had told him so much about me that I couldn’t say no. I did make attempts to dissuade him from investing in football in Nigeria but Shola told me that he was encouraged by my revelations and was ready to take the plunge.
“So, I set up an open camp in a resort on the outskirts of Ibadan, this was October 2021 and the birth of Sporting Lagos took place there. I then bought a slot and we played our first game in the Nigeria National League (NNL) in February 2022, and here we are today in the Nigeria Premier League 16 months after.”
To underscore the club’s ambition after getting a wildcard slot at the maiden Naija Super 8, Sporting Lagos pipped continent campaigners, Remo Stars on penalties to win the title recently.
“It was excellent in all ramifications. The Naija Super 8 tournament is a wake-up call for football administrators in Nigeria that there’s so much they’ve to do to take our football out of the woods that it is now, and Naija Super 8 has just shown how it should and can be done,” he added.
“We all saw excellent organization, excellent football, and excellent reward for the teams that participated,” he concluded.
