Former sports director for Aston Villa and Angel City, Eni Aluko, has made history as Italy’s first black female football club owner.
The 37-year-old joins the Mercury 13 group, which has secured a majority stake in FC Como Women, based in northern Italy, News About Nigeria reports.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, to Late Daniel Olugbenga Aluko and Sileola Aluko, Eni Aluko has shifted from football broadcasting to sports ownership, marking a significant milestone in her career.
Her leadership role not only breaks barriers in Italy but also inspires black sports investors worldwide.
The Mercury 13 group, committed to investing $100 million in women’s football teams across Latin America and Europe, aims to strengthen the women’s game’s global appeal.
Aluko’s ownership of Como FC complements this effort.
In February, the ex-England striker spoke out against social media platforms for failing to curb the spread of hatred and online abuse.
Aluko, who has faced a number of abuse after being criticised by former footballer Joey Barton, disclosed to the BBC that black women, including herself, are systematically subjected to abuse on platforms like X.
She pointed out one instance where a troll confessed to targeting women like Aluko because they were seen as vulnerable.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Why Do You Hate Me? podcast, Aluko said: “Online abuse from someone with millions of followers feels like the world’s caving on you. This is a societal issue where we have a platform (X) that is allowing people to vomit their hatred unchecked. And then on top of that, I think there is an intention to monetise and incite more hatred to promote a podcast.”
According to her, despite repeated reports to X about Barton’s posts, no action was taken against the offender.
