Do you remember this press conference?
It created a bit of a controversy, let’s say.
In January there is this little tournament in Africa
This comment on the Africa Cup of Nations wasn't exactly well received by some Africans.
A Nigerian journalist asked for an apology.
I wasn't the only one who took this as an insult, it went all over Africa.
The debate went on – was Europe belittling African football?
It is ironic, there is still a tournament, a big one.
We lose our best players to the African Cup.
Be that as it may, African football matters.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp isn't the only one who knows that.
But wait a minute, why do we even use the term “African football”?
Is there a European football?
A South American one?
An Asian one?
So let us not paint it all with the same brush.
Lets rather look at how beautifully diverse African football is.
And...
What differentiates the various forms of African football, who dominates it and why?
37 players from the Premier League were called up for the AFCON 2021.
Moe Salah, Sadio Mané, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Riyad Mahrez to name just a few.
When it comes to these players’ origins, almost all hail from North and West Africa.
A few players buck the trend, like Aston Villa’s Marvelous Nakamba from Zimbabwe.
The North and the West's dominance is not a new thing.
Take the teams with the most Africa Cup victories from the past:
If we look at African club football, it has even only been an Arab affair lately.
Al-Ahly from Egypt
Espérance Tunis from Tunisia
and Wydad Casablanca from Morocco
have won the last five African Champions League titles.
Why is that?
– and is there just no hope for the East and the South?
By the way, it is not me dividing up African football – the Africans did that.
The Confederation of African football is the overarching structure.
However, unlike in Europe or South America, there are five regional sub-divisions, too.
South, East, Central, and the dominant federations of West and North Africa.
So why do West and North Africa dominate?
When you start researching, you quickly come across some easy explanations.
This scientist from Cape Town thinks it’s about physical attributes.
Is it that simple?
Nigerian football expert Oma Akatugba says: well, kind of, yes.
West Africans are naturally stronger.
West Africans are naturally made to compete very well in football.
True, Liberia’s George Weah or Ivorians Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré
they are strong guys.
But: then why are Italy European champions and not the Netherlands?
And how would this explain the strength of North Africa and 2019 AFCON winners Algeria?
One argument is: North Africans have lighter frames but compensate for this with superior ball skills.
In fact, just as there is no ONE African football, there also is no ONE football in North and West Africa.
So, easy explanations apparently don’t do the job.
Maybe there are other reasons.
Does culture play a role?
Let's ask in Cameroon.
Right, but if it is so easy to play – why do other nations in Africa lag so far behind?
This is Kenya in Eastern Africa.
The most successful African nation at the Olympics with over 100 medals won.
Its national team never played at the World Cup
and has missed more AFCONs than it actually played.
Kenyan footballers at top clubs?
Hang on, Victor Wanyama was at Tottenham between 2016 and 2020.
He’s an exception to the rule though.
What is Kenya's and East Africa’s problem?
Kenyan Dennis Oliech who spent 10 years playing in France, says…
But why the lack of exposure?
What makes countries in Eastern Africa different?
So, are the varying levels of quality in African football also related to the colonial legacy?
Listen up, time for history class.
French clubs started to recruit players from Morocco and Algeria as early as the 30s.
Both countries were then under French rule.
They also established transfer networks from the 50s onwards with West Africa.
Portuguese clubs started recruiting from their colonies from 1949.
And clubs in Belgium from what is today called DR Congo since the 1960s.
And what about Britain?
It didn't let players from its colonies in.
A two-year residency qualification for non-British players meant:
Foreigners could de facto only be amateurs.
This rule lasted until 1978.
History class over!
Well, uh, kind of.
So: Britain didn't bring East African players in.
But why were former British West African colonies Nigeria and Ghana so successful then?
Well, after independence, Nigeria was economically relatively stable.
Its league was strong.
Nigeria's national team won its first AFCON in 1980.
We used to have a black and white TV there and whenever there was no power supply,
my dad would come with the car battery to generate power for the TV.
I grew up seeing all that, the fans, the passion to watch local players in the league.
A league that used to be a big deal back in the day.
The stadiums were filled up, league matches were reported daily on television, in the newspapers.
Nigerian football developed, and the world slowly took notice.
Nigerian players such as Stephen Keshi became pioneers when moving to Europe.
Imagine a player like that coming out of Nigeria, he inspired the others to follow to Europe
and that also was the beginning of the growth and the production of talent out of Nigeria for example.
And you know what it is: when someone comes out of a community and does well in a particular field,
you have other youngsters that want to emulate that person.
Many youngsters from Africa have done so since.
Inspired by their role models and seeking economic stability.
Today there are 46 Africans playing in the Premier League compared to only 17 South Americans.
The overwhelming majority is from West Africa.
It is these role models missing in Eastern Africa, as here in Tanzania.
And: the Premier League has reinforced foreign player restrictions.
Players from countries below 50th position in the FIFA rankings need to have
Currently, Uganda is ranked 82nd, Kenya 102nd, Tanzania 131st – as of early 2022.
So, no real path to the number one league.
Would you call that fair?
But then again, it’s not just history and structure – some say it is also about mentality.
The average Nigerian is much more ambitious than the average Kenyan.
This is no disrespect to the Kenyans.
That is the make-up of the Nigerians, we are dreamers, we are ambitious, we want to succeed.
This might sound a bit harsh but just listen to what Eastern Africans say about this themselves.
Belgian anthropologist Noel B. Salazar quotes Tanzanians he interviewed:
So, this issue – besides being historical and structural – seems to indeed be psychological as well.
But there are exceptions to this rule
like Mbwana Samatta, a Tanzanian who made it to Premier League.
Plus: his compatriots do not have to go that far.
And this takes us to the promised land of football in Africa: The North.
As mentioned, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia have historical ties with France.
In Egypt, football started to grow under the British occupation force.
Egypt joined FIFA as the first African nation in 1923.
It was also the first African country to play at a World Cup in 1934.
Today, its league is going from strength to strength.
And the passion is unreal – this is Al Ahly fans while their team are just training.
And it’s not just Egypt.
Northern African leagues set the standard for the rest of the continent.
When you look at the Northern Africans, it's still like that, their leagues are still top-notch.
When you compare their leagues to European standards, there is not much of a difference.
The pay is fine, the administration side is going well.
And this strength of North African clubs also translates into good results for their national teams.
So, what about Southern Africa?
Well, the Republic of South Africa is the only country able
to match Northern Africa's level of organisation and investment.
The South African Premier Division is well-run.
Mamelodi Sundowns from Pretoria and Orlando Pirates from Johannesburg
have both won the African Champions League.
Another Johannesburg-side, the Kaizer Chiefs, have a huge following
and are the second richest club in Africa after Al-Ahly.
But...
Well, if the experts are short on explanations, what do you expect from me then?
South Africa did not even qualify for the AFCON 2021
plus, they’re out of the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
Central Africa you ask?
It's a similar story with former powerhouse DR Congo.
In 1974, then as Zaire, they played at the World Cup.
Around that time, they also won two AFCON titles.
Today, this huge country of over 90 million people failed to qualify for AFCON 2021.
Let's finish on a positive note.
There are always fresh faces emerging in African football.
Take Comoros, who sensationally qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021.
They are African football’s latest fairy tale story.
Population 850,000.
The Iceland of Africa?
Not sure, but it shows one thing…