Intisar Shanib becomes president of Libya's Darnes Sports Club

Marking “crowning achievement for all the women of Libya” in her words, Intisar Shanib has become the president of Darnes Sports Club, a prominent football club in the eastern Libyan city of Derna, after all other candidates withdrew in her favour.

Mohamed Abdel-Aty, the acting president of the club’s general assembly, told the Reuters news agency on Monday that three rival candidates allowed Shanib – the MP for the city of Derna and the chairperson of the women and child affairs committee in the House of Representatives – to be installed unopposed as the sole candidate within the next two weeks.

“Our endorsement of Intisar Shneib did not come out of nowhere, but rather to benefit from her strong connections that can contribute to advancing the club,” stressing that the next phase must focus on developing investments so the club can rely on its own resources, alongside paying attention to the youth sector, which Shneib has pledged to work on.

Shanib told Reuters that the task “is not easy”, but it is “an honor for me and an honor for any Libyan woman that a woman holds this position”.

“I want to prove that Libyan women are capable of offering something, especially to the fans of Darnes Club,” she added.

Darnes Club: A Long History

Founded in 1958, Darnes Sports Club, known as “The Elegant” in Libyan sports circles for the aesthetic performance of its players, was founded in the coastal city of Derna, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, about 300km (186 miles) east of Benghazi, the country’s second-largest city.

The club witnessed various phases of naming and a merger with another club known as “Al-Afriqi” before regaining its historical name after 2011, a name said to refer to the city’s location among the mountains.

Shanib highlighted that her connection with the club goes back to her childhood years, as her brother and uncle previously played for Danes Club, many of those close to her support the team.

Shanib emphasised the solidarity, from the management to the fans and the people of the city, saying that responsibility for the club is collective.

She acknowledged that her appointment may not be without criticism. “Holding any position comes with encouragement and criticism,” Shahib said. “There is a kind of jealousy about how a woman can hold this position. There are countries led by women, not just sports clubs. Leadership is not measured by whether a woman or a man leads, but by competencies and capabilities.”

Abdel-Aty also said the city of Derna is full of pioneering women who possess the necessary competence to hold leadership positions.

Shanib confirmed that the upcoming period will focus on rebuilding the club, which has suffered from accumulated crises, including internal and external debts, alongside the repercussions of the war against armed groups, as well as Storm Daniel, which struck the city in September 2023, killing of thousands and causing widespread infrastructure destruction.

Women as leading executives

With her nomination, Shanib joins a growing list of women leading sport clubs and federations. In the Arab world, Hanan Al-Qurashi was the first woman in Saudi Arabia to become president of the Taif-based Wej sport club in June 2023, before Abdullah Al-Saati took over the position the following year.

In the African continent, the pattern is not new. For example, Anisha Muhoozi has been the CEO of Kampala Capital City Authority club in Uganda since 2018, which is considered one of the most successful clubs in the country.

In Kenya, Doris Petra held the position of the deputy president of the Kenyan federation from 2021 until 2025, and was the first woman to do so.

In 2021, Kanizat Ibrahim from Comoros was elected to the executive committee of the African football’s governing body, CAF, and subsequently appointed CAF’s 5th vice president, becoming the first woman to hold this position. She is currently a council member of football’s global governing body, FIFA.

In Italy, Claudia Rizzo made headlines as one of the youngest and few female presidents of an Italian club, heading Ternana Calcio in Serie C. She was appointed in September last year, making history at age 23 as the youngest and first female president in the club’s century-long history.

And in Brazil, Leila Pereira has served as the president of the Brazilian Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras since 2021. Under her leadership, the club continued to win significant domestic and international titles.