Football in Africa

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Football in Africa
Assou Ekotto.jpg
Cameroon's Benoît Assou-Ekotto jostles for possession with Mustapha Allaoui of Morocco
Governing body Confederation of African Football
First played1860
International competitions
Best results of African men's national teams at the FIFA World Cup World cup african countries best results and hosts.png
Best results of African men's national teams at the FIFA World Cup

Football is the most popular sport in Africa, alongside basketball. Indeed, football is probably the most popular sport in every African country, although rugby and cricket are also very popular in South Africa. [1] The first football stadium to be built in Africa was the Alexandria Stadium in 1929. [2]

Contents

The English Premier League is the most popular sports league in Africa. The most popular clubs in Africa are Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. [3]

History

Football was first introduced to Africa in the early 1860s by Europeans, [4] due to the colonisation of Africa. The first recorded games were played in South Africa in 1862 between soldiers and civil servants and there were no established rules for the game at this time; [5] " Initially, there were various forms of playing the game, which included elements of both rugby and soccer. It was not until October 26, 1863 that the "rules of association football were codified." [5] The first official football organization in Africa, Pietermaritzburg County Football Association, was established in 1880.Teams were being established in South Africa before 1900, Egypt and in Algeria during a similar time period. Savages FC (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa), L'Oranaise Club (Oran, Algeria) and Gezira SC (Alexandria, Egypt) are the oldest African football clubs that remain in existence. The tree clubs began play in 1882, followed by Alexandria SC (1890), CDJ Oran from Algeria in 1894 and CAL Oran from Algeria too in 1897. By the 1930s, football was being played in Central Africa. In 1882, the first national governing body on the content was formed, South African Football Association (SAFA). SAFA was a whites-only association that became the first member of FIFA in South Africa in 1910. [5]

Egyptian Olympic football team, 1928 1928 Egyptian Olympic football team.jpg
Egyptian Olympic football team, 1928

As Africa is a highly superstitious continent many African teams depend on witch doctors for success. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Activities that witch doctors have performed for teams include cutting players, placing potions on equipment, and sacrificing animals. [11]

Children are also often exploited by agents in cases of football trafficking. [12] [13] [14] [15] Other issues faced in African football include a lack of organization by national team officials, and internal disputes between players and federation officials. [16] Football in Africa witnessed a great development in the last stage, which gained international fame, after the honor and representation of the honorable Congolese team TP Mazembe in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, the FIFA international tournament hosted by United Arab Emirates when TP Mazembe reached the final match against the Italian club Inter Milan. And Moroccan team Raja in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, the tournament hosted by Morocco when Raja reached the final match against the German club Bayern Munich.

In the 1990s, football in Africa experienced huge waves of change. One big change was the football migration to Europe. Many talented young players sought big careers in Europe and shot for their chance to make it big. Peter Alegi mentions the story of two in particular: Michael Essien who ended up making millions, and Albert Youmba who ended up failing. He states, "Penniless, homeless, and without a work permit, the young Cameroonian chose the life of an illegal immigrant rather than face potential embarrassment and shame if he went home.". [17] The hardships that Youmba faced versus the amount of success that Essien was met with showed the largely different experiences that a young African footballer would have to be prepared to face if they migrated.

Changes

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) was founded in 1957, Sudan was the founder of African football by creating CAF with four member nations: Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Sudan. [18] The first Africa Cup of Nations was held the same year, with a three-team field. Egypt won the inaugural African Cup of Nations, defeating Ethiopia 4–0 in the final. [19] As the sport grew football associations grew across the continent. Qualification rounds were added for the 1962 event. African national teams compete in the Africa Cup of Nations and also in the African Nations Championship for local teams. [19] [20]

Abdulrahman Fawzi, the first African to score in the World Cup, Egypt's top scorer in 1934 FIFA World Cup Abdulrahman Fawzi.jpg
Abdulrahman Fawzi, the first African to score in the World Cup, Egypt's top scorer in 1934 FIFA World Cup

The first African nation to participate in the FIFA World Cup was Egypt in 1934. [21] That remained the only World Cup appearance by a team from the continent until 1966, when a team from CAF was originally scheduled to compete in a playoff with teams from Asia and Oceania for one tournament berth. In response, CAF nations boycotted World Cup qualifying, and FIFA granted CAF one guaranteed berth in the 1970 tournament. [22] Starting in 1970, African nations at the FIFA World Cup started to compete regularly. [22] [23] Zaire was Africa's representative at the 1974 edition of the competition. [24] [25] [26] [27] The team lost all three of its games. [27] In 1977, Pelé stated his belief that a team from the continent would be crowned World Cup champions by the end of the 20th century, which proved incorrect. [28]

After the 1970, 1974, and 1978 World Cups, which each had one African qualifier, there were two teams from the continent in 1982: Algeria and Cameroon, each of which missed out on advancing from the group stage on goal difference. The 1986 and 1990 World Cups also featured two African nations; Morocco reached the round of 16 in 1986 after finishing first in their group. [29] Cameroon advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup, becoming the first African national team to do so. Senegal and Ghana matched the feat, in 2002 and 2010 respectively. [21] By 2010 South Africa become the first African nation to host the World Cup. [30] [31]

Women's football

In Africa, football was viewed as "hypermasculine" and the continent as a whole was not very supportive of women playing. [32] Numerous Nigerian cities hosted women's football teams by 1960. Multiple efforts were made in the 1960s to start women's football clubs in South Africa, but they proved fleeting. The 1970s saw some growth, with new women's leagues in Nigeria and an expansion of women's football into Western African countries, including Senegal. One local club in Dakar played a match against an Italian club in 1974; five years later, an early match between African nations was played by the Dakar side and a team from Guinea. [33] Until the 1990s, governments, businesses, and football associations dominated by men did not support women's football in Africa. [32]

Despite a lack of support from Nigerian officials, 28 clubs played women's football in the country by 1989, and Nigeria's national team competed in the 1991 Women's World Cup.The South African Women's Football Association (SAWFA) was created around this time to govern women's football, but it was not racially integrated for years to come. [34] More women began playing football in the 1990s, in countries like Nigeria and South Africa. In 1998, CAF introduced an official African Women's Championship, following two unofficial versions of the tournament earlier in the 1990s; host country Nigeria won, beginning a stretch of five consecutive titles in the event. The next year, the squad reached the quarterfinals of the 1999 Women's World Cup. [35]

Football is played in a limited capacity by women due to a lack of funding. [36] [37]

Premier League in Africa

A number of African players have played in the Premier League, the highest division of football in England and the most popular sports league in the world. Due to this, the Premier League is very popular in Africa.

A 2024 NOI Polls poll in Nigeria found that most Nigerians watch the national team and the Premier League. 59% of respondents watched the Premier League, while only 34% watched the Nigerian Premier League, Nigeria's top division. The poll found that Chelsea was the most supported club in Nigeria, with 28% of respondents listing them as their favourite club, followed by Manchester United (23%), Arsenal (22%), Manchester City (7%), Liverpool (6%) and Tottenham Hotspur (1%). [38]

2015 Twitter research (BBC) [3]
CountryFavourite club
Arsenal Chelsea Man City Man Utd
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 43%19%11%—
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 17%26%—18%
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 52%8%—22%
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 15%26%—18%
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 31%17%—23%
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 23%35%—15%
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 29%16%—26%
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 55%14%10%—
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 26%25%—18%
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 15%26%—22%
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 21%18%—23%
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 22%17%—25%
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 33%22%13%—
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 36%12%—23%
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 27%18%—30%
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 17%19%—28%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa Cup of Nations</span> African association football tournament for mens national teams

The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, is the main biennial international men's association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been held every two years, switching to odd-numbered years in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederation of African Football</span> Governing body of association football in Africa

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) (in French Confédération Africaine de Football) is the administrative and controlling body for association football, beach soccer, and futsal in Africa. It was established on 8 February 1957 at the Grand Hotel in Khartoum, Sudan by the national football associations of: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa. following formal discussions between the aforementioned associations at the FIFA Congress held on 7 June 1956 at Avenida Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigeria national football team</span> Mens national association football team representing Nigeria

The Nigeria national football team represents Nigeria in men's international football. Governed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), they are three-time Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winners, with their most recent title in 2013. In February 2024, the Nigerian national football team was ranked 28th in the FIFA rankings. The team has qualified for six of the last eight FIFA World Cups, missing only the 2006 and 2022 editions. They have reached the round of 16 on three occasions. Their first World Cup appearance was in the 1994 edition. The team is a member of FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Football Association</span> Governing body of association football in South African

The South African Football Association is the national administrative governing body that controls the sport of football in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). SAFA established in 1991. The South African Football Association is the second Football Association in South Africa to be named the South African Football Association and it is also the second football association in South Africa to affiliate to FIFA. The present day South African Football Association, unlike its predecessor allows for a mixed-race national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senegalese Football Federation</span> Governing body of football in Senegal

The Senegalese Football Federation is the governing body of football in Senegal. It is based in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, and was founded in 1960. The FSF aided in the development of football in Senegal, specifically for its professional and amateur leagues, youth and women's football and academies. Currently the FSF oversees the professional leagues, run by the Ligue Sénégalaise de Football Professionnel (LSFP) and fully organises the national teams, youth, women's and amateur football and all football administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Nigeria</span>

Football is the most popular sport in Nigeria. The Nigeria national football team competes regularly for international titles and many Nigerian footballers compete in Europe, particularly in England. Nigeria has one of the finest national teams in Africa and has produced many notable footballers including Mudashiru Lawal, Rashidi Yekini, Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo, Mikel John Obi and Victor Osimhen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Aboutrika</span> Egyptian footballer (born 1978)

Mohamed Mohamed Mohamed Aboutrika is an Egyptian retired professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and a forward. He was voted second place in the African Footballer of the Year award in 2008, and was one of five nominees for the 2006 award, and one of the ten nominated for the 2013 award. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Confederation of African Football</span>

From a humble beginning in 1957, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has grown into a notable organisation with the membership of 54 football association. The confederation of African Football is also responsible for the organization of the major competitions within Africa.

The Ivory Coast women's national football team represents Ivory Coast in international women's football and is controlled by the Ivorian Football Federation. They played their first international match in 1988. The team is currently ranked 64th in the FIFA Women's World Rankings and as the 6th best team in CAF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya women's national football team</span> Womens national football team representing Kenya

The Kenya women's national football team represents Kenya in women's football and is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation.

The Liberia women's national football team represents Liberia in international women's football. It is governed by the Liberia Football Association. It has played in five FIFA recognized matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niger women's national football team</span> Womens national association football team representing Niger

The Niger women's national football team represents Niger in international women's football. It is governed by the Nigerien Football Federation. It has played in four FIFA recognised matches, two of which were losses to Burkina Faso women's national football team in 2007. There is an under-20 women's national team who were supposed to participate in the 2002 African Women U-19 Championship but withdrew before playing a game. There are problems that impact the development of the women's game in Africa that effect Niger.

The São Tomé and Príncipe women's national football team represents São Tomé and Príncipe in international women's football. It is governed by the São Toméan Football Federation. It has played in six FIFA recognised matches and has never been internationally ranked by FIFA. The country also has a national under-19 team.

The Lesotho women's national under-20 football team represents the country in international youth women's football competitions.

The Kenya women's national under-20 football team represents Kenya at an under-20 level in women's football and is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation.

The Kenya women's national under-17 football team represents Kenya at an under-17 level in women's football and is controlled by the Football Kenya Federation.

Women's football in Africa can be divided into distinct historical periods. Football is one of several sports played by women in Africa with the sport facing several challenges during development. Initially seen as a male participant sport women have long held leadership and support roles within football in Africa.

Women's football in Nigeria has been increasing in popularity for many years. The Nigerian Women's Championship is funded by the government to improve the Nigeria women's national football team. Many females in Nigeria face prejudice for playing the sport.

Women's football in Seychelles faces several development problems inside the country including a lack of popularity for the sport, and few female players and teams. Women have gained football leadership positions in the country with one coaching a men's team and another umpiring international matches. There are other development issues for the sport that are ones facing the whole of Africa.

Women's football in Madagascar faces several development problems inside the country including a lack of popularity for the sport, and few female players and teams. Women have gained football leadership positions in the country with one coaching a men's team and another umpiring international matches. There are other development issues for the sport that are ones facing the whole of Africa.

References

  1. ↑ "Football (Soccer) in Africa | Exploring Africa". Exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "Oldest football stadiums: Which was the first football stadium ever built?". sportsbrief.com. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  3. 1 2 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33808566.amp
  4. ↑ "The History Of Soccer In Africa". NPR.org. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Alegi, Peter (2010). African Soccerscapes. Ohio University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN   9780896802780.
  6. ↑ Frimpong, Enoch Darfah. "Ghana news: A world of superstition, frustration and disillusionment - Graphic Online" . Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Lacey, Marc (8 August 2002). "Kangemi Journal; For Spellbinding Soccer, the Juju Man's on the Ball". The New York Times. NY Times. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "World Cup Witchcraft: Africa Teams Turn to Magic for Aid". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 10 July 2006. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  9. ↑ Andy Mitten (September 2010). The Rough Guide to Cult Football. Rough Guides UK. ISBN   9781405387965 . Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "African Nations Cup overshadowed by hocus pocus | Football". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Kuper, Simon (2006). Soccer Against the Enemy: How the World's Most Popular Sport Starts and Stops Wars, Fuels Revolutions, and Keeps Dictators in Power . Nation Books. p.  123. ISBN   978-1-56025-878-0.
  12. ↑ Edwards, Piers (21 July 2015). "Can Fifa end child trafficking from Africa to Asia?". BBC News. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Sinnott, John (28 March 2013). "Human traffic: Africa's lost boys - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Dan McDougall. "The scandal of Africa's trafficked players | Football". The Guardian . Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Ed Hawkins (22 December 2015). "Victims or fraudsters? The world of football trafficking laid bare | News & Comment | Sport". The Independent . Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Kuper, Simon; Szymanski, Stefan (2009). Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the US, Japan, Australia, Turkey—and Even Iraq—Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport . Nation Books. pp.  269–270. ISBN   978-1-56858-425-6.
  17. ↑ Alegi, Peter (2010). African Soccerscapes. Ohio University. p. 78. ISBN   9780896802780.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ↑ Kuper (2006), p. 130.
  19. 1 2 Ross, Elliot (17 January 2013). "Africa Cup of Nations: A brief history". Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "African Cup of Nations - How it all began". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 December 2001. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  21. 1 2 Adam, Mohammed (23 July 2014). "Why African countries don't win the World Cup". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  22. 1 2 "How Africa boycotted the 1966 World Cup - BBC News". BBC News. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  23. ↑ Edwards, Piers (18 August 2016). "Joao Havelange, the unlikely godfather of African football". BBC News . Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  24. ↑ Merrill, Austin (9 April 2010). "Zaire, the Leopards, and the 1974 World Cup". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  25. ↑ "Zaire: The tale of Africa's disastrous entry into the World Cup - Daily Nation". Nation.co.ke. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "BBC SPORT | WORLD CUP | History | 1974: Zaire's show of shame". BBC News. 22 May 2002. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  27. 1 2 Rhoden, William C. (10 June 2010). "Africa Honors Its Soccer Past and Looks Forward". The New York Times . Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  28. ↑ Sweetman, Tom (13 June 2014). "Brazil 2014: Five things African teams need to win first World Cup". CNN International. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  29. ↑ Kuper (2006), pp. 119–121.
  30. ↑ Charles P. Korr (5 December 2013). "Nelson Mandela saw sport as way to connect S. Africans". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "For Nelson Mandela, sports were major weapon against racism". CNN.com. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  32. 1 2 Alegi, Peter (2010). African Soccerscapes. Ohio University Press. p. 119. ISBN   9780896802780.
  33. ↑ Peter Alegi (2 March 2010). African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game. Ohio University Press. p. 120. ISBN   978-0-89680-278-0 . Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  34. ↑ Alegi, Peter (2010). African Soccerscapes. Ohio University Press. p. 118. ISBN   9780896802780.
  35. ↑ Alegi, pp. 121–123.
  36. ↑ Anna Kessel (19 June 2015). "Ivory Coast exit Women's World Cup as Africa pleads for more support | Anna Kessel | Football". The Guardian. Theguardian.com. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  37. ↑ Shearlaw, Maeve (3 December 2016). "Skilled, determined and broke: Africa's female football pioneers". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  38. ↑ https://www.noi-polls.com/post/6in10nigeriansfollowtheenglishpremierleague
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