Nigeria athlete Favour Ofili had her Olympic dreams shattered when it was announced that she would not be competing in the Women’s 100m race, inexplicably due to the Nigerian Olympic Federation failing to register her in time. This example of sheer incompetence, being one of countless stories of this nature, serves as a testament for the history of African migration in European sports.
In 1998, when France won the World Cup, the slogan “black, blanc et beur” gained popularity to describe its team. This phrase highlighted the diverse ethnic backgrounds of the players – black, white, and beur, the latter term referring to those of North African descent.
Key players in that squad included Senegalese-born Patrick Vieira, Ghanaian-born Marcel Desailly, and Zinedine Zidane, born in France to Algerian parents.
This trend of diversity has persisted, with numerous players of African descent contributing to France’s 2018 World Cup victory. Recently, this pattern has extended to other European national teams.
For example, Germany’s Jamal Musiala and England’s Bukayo Saka, both with African heritage, have made
significant impacts on their respective teams. Media outlet SNL40 reported that 42 players with African roots are currently featuring in the Euro 2024 tournament.
European national and club teams have long benefited from the talents of players of African descent, whether born in Africa or to immigrant parents in Europe.
This migration of football talent to Europe has, however, hindered the development of professional football in Africa.
The story of Africa losing out on top football talent dates back more than half a century. Over eight decades ago, Senegalese Raoul Diagne played as a defender for France in the 1938 World Cup. He earned 18 caps for France and, after Senegal’s independence, became its first coach. In 1963, he led Senegal to its first victory against France, becoming a national hero.
Other notable players of African descent have made significant marks for European nations over the decades. These include Just Fontaine, born in Morocco, who scored 13 goals for France in the 1958 World Cup, and Mozambique’s Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, who represented Portugal in the 1966 World Cup.
However, a new trend has emerged, with more players of African descent returning to play for their ancestral countries. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, several of the 23 players representing Morocco were born in European countries, including Paris Saint-Germain fullback, Hakimi Achraf (Spain), Brahim Diaz (Spain), Hakim Ziyech (Netherlands), and Romain Saiss (France).
Despite this, the number of African players choosing to represent European nations remains extortionate. In light of this FLOS explores probable reasons why African players often prefer to play for European teams over their countries of origin.
Reason why African players opt to play for European nations
The decision to ignore immigrant players
Until a few decades ago, before the emigration of African players to professional careers outside the continent became widespread, African countries largely ignored first and second-generation emigrant players. They focused solely on selecting players for their national teams who did not have multiple eligibility.
However, this approach has evolved, and now countries actively seek out first-generation (African emigrants) and second-generation (children of African emigrants) players.
This recruitment is soon expected to extend in the future to players regarded as third-generation players, such as England’s Ross Barkley, who has a Nigerian grandfather.
The effort to recruit players with multiple national eligibilities has intensified. At the 2018 World Cup, 25 players born in France represented Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia.
Predatory and unregulated football federation
Today, poor governance, predatory and unregulated football agents, and inadequate commercial incentives continue to drive exceptional African players to Europe.
Few African football federations are managed professionally, with corruption rampant and funds intended for football development often ending up in the pockets of individual officials.
In June 2018, a film by Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas exposed Kwesi Nyantakyi, the former president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and a FIFA Council member, of accepting a $65,000 bribe from an undercover reporter posing as a businessman seeking to sponsor Ghana’s football league.
Corruption in football extends beyond Ghana and is a significant issue in Nigeria as well. Amos Adamu, a former FIFA Executive Committee member and ex-director-general of the Nigerian National Sports Commission, received a three-year ban and a 10,000 Swiss franc fine from FIFA’s ethics committee in 2010 for breaching bribery rules. He faced an additional three-year ban in 2017.
These corruption scandals in Ghana and Nigeria are symptomatic of a broader malaise affecting many other, often smaller, football federations across Africa.
It’s no surprise that top-tier players of African descent often prefer to avoid such tainted federations and instead choose to represent countries where football governance is more transparent and purpose-driven.
Poor government and predatory agent
African governments face significant challenges in combating the corruption epidemic in football, largely due to FIFA’s stringent rules against government interference in sports. This has left them with limited ability to address the issue.
FIFA has suspended the memberships of countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Chad multiple times due to alleged government interference in the affairs of independent football federations.
Corruption and mismanagement have severely impacted local leagues across Africa, leading to a decline in attendance from fans.
Also exploitative football agents have taken advantage of the lack of proper training schemes and academies, often deceiving young boys with promises of turning them into the next football stars.
The lack of regulation and oversight allows these agents to operate freely, often extracting exorbitant fees from families in exchange for false promises of securing deals with famous European clubs. Some families even sell all their possessions in the hope that their children will follow in the footsteps of players like Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba. Tragically, some agents disappear with the money, while others leave the boys stranded in Europe.
Charity Foot Solidaire estimates that at least 15,000 young football players are trafficked out of West Africa annually under false pretences, although the actual number could be much higher due to a lack of monitoring.
Little wonder, international superstars like France’s Kylian Mbappe and Italy’s Stephan El Shaarawy prefer to play for European clubs rather than representing their countries of origin.
The search for greener pitches and infrastructure
Another significant factor influencing players of African descent to represent European nations is the persistent issue of football infrastructure in Africa.
The quality of infrastructure, including standard kits and cleats, remains a substantial challenge across the African football landscape.
Many clubs, even those considered elite, often play their home games on low-quality artificial turf or substandard grass pitches, which have been noted to be a major cause of numerous player injuries.
These infrastructure issues extend beyond the quality of pitches to include training equipment and other essential footballing resources. The availability of jerseys and other necessities of modern football is also a concern.
It is evident that football in sub-Saharan Africa significantly lags behind the quality seen in Europe and other major footballing regions.
As of the time of writing, West African nation, Benin Republic lacks a football facility that meets current standards set by the world football governing body FIFA standards, forcing them to play the home leg of their FIFA 2026 World Cup qualification fixtures in Ivory Coast.
Benin are not alone in this seemingly disgraceful situation, as East African nation, Kenya, also had to play their qualification series in Malawi due to similar issues.
Even Nigeria, often considered a powerhouse in African football, boasts fewer than four stadia that meet FIFA’s standards.
When players like England’s latest midfield addition, Kobbie Mainoo, choose to play for European nations instead of their countries of origin, the disparity in football infrastructure often provides a clear explanation for their decision.
