The co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Paystack Shola Akinlade has unveiled Sporting Lagos Football Club on Thursday, February 4, 2022.
The launch of the new clubs comes before the start of the 2021/2022 Nigeria National League (NNL) season.
Akinlade went on to explain the reason a fintech mogul would choose to invest in Nigerian football.
He linked the establishment of the Sporting Lagos Football Club to the death of his late father.
He said, “Last year, I lost my dad and spent a lot of time with my 75-year-old mum. And for the first time in my life, I started thinking about what my life would look like at 75.
"The outcome of my reflection was a commitment to deepen my involvement in our community, which has given me so much.
At the unveiling of the club, Akinlade explained why he choose to invest in football citing the possible opportunities.
He said, “Football has always been a space that makes me proud to be part of this country and continent. That’s likely because football is more than entertainment; it’s identity, it’s opportunity.
"Digging deeper into the sport has been a revelation. There’s an entire ecosystem of time, activity, and talent that goes into those electrifying 90 minutes.”
Uzo Okonkwo has been recruited to serve as the club’s managing director, Uche Okagbue as a coach while veteran journalist Godwin Enakhena has been trusted as the chairman of the club.
Enakhena at the press conference revealed that the goal is to move up as soon as possible to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
He said, “I don’t see myself as someone that wants to run an NNL team, we tried our best to get an NPFL team, but it didn’t work out. We are an NNL team for now, but we will not spend more than one season in the second division,” he said.
Sporting Lagos FC will start their NNL campaign at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos when they welcome Go Round FC on Saturday, February 12, 2022.