A Nigerian professional football manager, Ndubuisi Emmanuel Egbo has made history after becoming the first African coach to win a title with an European side.
Ndubuisi led KF Tirana to victory in the 2019/2020 Albania season.
“Tirana is officially declared the champion of Albania after the end of the 34th week,” a Google translation of a post on the club’s website read.
Coach Ndubuisi’s club will also be featuring in the UEFA Champions League for next term following their 25th league title.
The 46-year-old who had 12 appearances for the Super Eagles – between 1999 and 2002 when he was a goalkeeper for KF Tirana – is also believed to be the first African to achieve that feat.
KF Tirana who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this month, can also claim a domestic double on August 2, 2020 when they face Teuta Durres in the Domestic Cup final.
The club’s fans are already in celebration following the decade-long wait for the domestic title.
Coach Ndubuisi retired from football in 2011 and went into coaching, becoming the goalkeeper coach of Albanian team, Bylis before he rejoined Tirana in 2014 in the same role.
The Nigerian, was, however, promoted as the Head Coach of the Albanian side in 2019 and, has remarkably, led the club to a league triumph in his first season in charge.
Tirana are the most successful team in the European country and had reached the last 16 of European competitions four times.
Ndubuisi’s feat comes few days after a Nigerian entrepreneur, Nneka Ede became one of the few Africans to own a European club when she bought Portuguese side, Lusitano Ginásio Clube, Futebol, SAD.
Mrs Ede’s ownership of the 108-year-old team, which is in the Portuguese third division, began in June, 2020.
The development also makes her the first African woman to own a European side.