Intisar Shanib becomes first woman to head football club in Libya

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 which struck the city in September 2023, killing of thousands and causing widespread infrastructure destruction.