The Ondo State Government revealed on Wednesday that it is willing to sell the two state-owned football clubs in the state.
According to the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Bamidele Ologunloluwa, the government had been searching for would-be buyers for the Sunshine Stars Football Club and the Sunshine Queens Football Club, both in Akure.
The commissioner stated that the government will not hesitate to sell the two clubs to investors like Manchester United.
Both teams are competing in the on-going Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and the Nigeria Women Professional Football League (NWPFL).
While disclosing this in an interview with Crest FM in Akure, the state capital, Ologunloluwa stated that the clubs would be available for sale or privatization to the right investors by the end of the 2022–2023 league season.
The commissioner stated that the clubs needed to be privatized for good administration, which may result in the government either giving up control of the clubs entirely or partnering with investors.
He claimed that the club would be sold right away if a larger organization expressed interest in buying it.
“It won’t be like this. The government is saying we need to privatize the club, in which case the government may be funding the club. It won’t be 100 percent, but private organizations can join forces with the club if they want to.
“If a club like Manchester United, for example, says there is a club in Ondo State called Sunshine Stars and we want to have them as our feeder team, are you saying we are not going to sell? We will sell immediately.”
