Inter Lagos co-founder, Vigo reveals club's long-term agenda
By Olusola Adebayo
Lanre Vigo, the co-founder and CEO of Inter Lagos, has stated that the club's primary objective is to become the best team in Africa.
Vigo, who used to be a semi-professional footballer in England, revealed this after Inter Lagos lost to Osun United by a line goal in a Nigerian National League fixture.
Although the defeat was disappointing, Vigo expressed confidence in his team and stated that they would bounce back in their next match.
He also discussed how Inter Lagos managed to go unbeaten for seven matches after a shaky start to the season.
According to Vigo, "Inter Lagos is a new team that needed time to find its rhythm. However, once the team started winning, their critics began to take them seriously."
Vigo and the other co-founders have invested heavily in the club, and they have received support from a few investors who believe in their vision.
"The club's long-term goal is to become the number one team in Africa, and they have a 10-year plan to achieve this.
"As part of this plan, they intend to build their stadium, which will help them settle down better."
He summed up how their player recruitment works, which adds up to why an average Inter Lagos player has a physical presence on the pitch.
"When you watch a football game, it's about 11 versus 11 regardless of the sizes of the players, for Inter Lagos, is more of the ability. It just so happened that our players are of certain sizes, so when scouting if any player is good enough, he can play for the club."
Vigo also believes that there is a lack of connection between clubs and fans in Nigeria, which is why Inter Lagos is focusing on engagement to attract more fans to their matches.
He draws from his experience playing semi-professional football in England, where he was part of a team that attracted over a thousand fans to every home game.
"We felt that there was no connection between clubs and fans in Nigeria, as nothing was attracting them to games. So we thought using the media/social media in engaging with the fans, which has also helped our marketing."
