FOOTBALL IS COMING HOME » African Nations Cup

90-minute Patriots Ward off Faction Replays

Peter Alegi — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:50:51 +0000

The Times (London), January 25, 2012

By Matthew Syed

It is no coincidence that Alex Salmond, the wily and rather combative leader of the SNP, is fighting to hold the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014. This, of course, is partly to do with the anniversary of the Battle of Bannock-burn, where the Scots gave the English a bit of a kicking in the First War of Scottish Independence.

But, perhaps even more significantly, it is also about the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and a recognition that the patriotism that invariably surrounds great sporting occasions could lend the campaign for secession unstoppable momentum. No wonder David Cameron wants to hold the referendum early.

Few politicians, let alone sports fans, have failed to recognise the curious alchemy of events such as the Commonwealth Games, not to mention the Olympics and World Cup. It is not just the anthem-singing and the flag-waving, but a sense of unity that is conspicuous by its absence at just about any other time in national life – with the possible exception of a royal wedding.

We are divided by religion, by political affiliation, by cultural allegiance and by our attitudes to Simon Cowell but, when David Beckham is charging around against Greece, or Sally Gunnell is leaping around Montjuic, or Tim Henman is getting edgy against Pete Sampras in SW19, we are bound up in a shared national story. Look hard and you can almost see the pages moving.

In this sense the Africa Cup of Nations, which started at the weekend, is perhaps the most important sporting event in the world. Not in terms of the football, of course – although the European club stars who return home to represent their homelands lend stardust to an event that improves in quality with each incarnation – but rather in terms of the politics of identity. As the players of Niger and Libya and Equatorial Guinea cruise around the pitch, you can see history in the making.

The idea of nationhood, let alone a shared national story, may seem an intellectual and emotional absurdity in the con-text of post-colonial Africa. This is not just about the ambiguity of nation states that were created by generals drawing lines on maps, or even histories complicated by slavery, imperialism and the imposition of foreign ideology. It is also about a continent where ethnicity, language and custom create a criss-crossing set of identities that defy meaningful categorisation.

In Nigeria alone, who rather surprisingly did not qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations, there are 400 languages and a multitude of indigenous religions alongside Islam and Christianity. The broad groupings of Hausa and Fulani in the north and Yoruba and Igbo in the south conceal a far deeper and more complex set of identities that exist at the level of tribes and notional ethnicities. Even the British colonialists found it impossible to forge any sense of unity.

But this is where football – dramatically and possibly uniquely – changes everything. As John Obi Mikel and Yakubu Ayegbeni step on to the field of play, as they did at the 2010 World Cup finals, the citizenry undergo a metamorphosis familiar to the English, the Dutch, and other long-established nations. They are no longer Hausa or Igbo. They are no longer Fulani or Yoruba. They are Nigerians. As Peter Alegi puts it in African Soccerscapes, a marvellous book about the social history of football in Africa: “Africans are 90-minute patriots.”

Alegi’s thesis, which is as impressive as it is extensive, is that football was not only central to the liberation struggle of countries such as Algeria and Nigeria, but has become the central vehicle in the project of nationalism. “Football exerts magnetism on the disparate groupings in a way nothing else can match,” he says. “The divides come crashing down, whether you are urban or rural, rich or poor, Islamic or Christian. You are aware of an identity that might otherwise seem meaningless.”

The sheer joy of football in Africa has been well documented, with youngsters kicking around bundles of paper tied together with a piece of string in every corner of the continent, from the urban ghettos to the remote rural plains. Villag-ers who live hundreds of kilometres off the electricity grid congregate around televisions powered by makeshift genera-tors to watch matches and celebrate the successes of local stars.

But football is at its most politically potent in the expression of an identity that was once redundant. As Eric Hobsbawm, the eminent Marxist historian, puts it: “The imagined community of millions seems more real as a team of 11 named people.”

Leaders in Africa, ever fearful of a descent into factional disputes and civil wars along tribal and ethnic lines, have seen the significance.

National symbolism, patriotic rhetoric and the entire arsenal of nationalistic propaganda are constructed around the teams. Many of the countries playing in the cup have even ditched foreign coaches, preferring indigenous alternatives to cement the idea of a national story, and repudiate a sense of colonial interference.

Of course, many Africa watchers have been struck by the apparent contradiction of self-confessedly tribal individuals, who are often scathing of the national government, becoming patriotic when a sporting event looms into view. But these ironies are rather familiar. It is no more (or less) paradoxical than a proud Englishman cheering for Team GB, or a Liv-erpudlian rooting for Team England. It is a curiosity of nationalism that we seem able to repudiate and appropriate iden-tities almost at will.

Perhaps that is the point.

Historians such as Hobsbawm argue that the idea of nationalism is in retreat, and that may be indeed true in the West. But the deeper question in Africa, where nationalism is still in its infancy, is whether football is leaving any long-term residue. Is the beautiful game helping to forge identities that will ultimately subvert local affiliations and reduce the risk of regional conflict, or will the influence prove to be ephemeral, lasting only until the final whistle at the end of any given match?

It is fascinating that Alegi is pessimistic. To go back to the example of Nigeria, he points to the conflict in the Niger delta, where a regional debate about environmental protection has spiralled into a conflict about the proceeds of indus-try. Those in the delta are not reaping the economic benefits of oil extraction, and they are not appeased by the idea of the money being used for the betterment of the “nation”.

“Ultimately, basic issues of economics and historic affiliation will trump the idea of nationhood,” Alegi says.

But in many ways the jury is still out. What is certain is that nationalism is central to the future of Africa in its widest sense, and football is central to the future of nationalism. That is why, regardless of the quality of the football, the Afri-ca Cup of Nations could scarcely be more significant.

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Interview with Yaya Touré

Peter Alegi — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:29:01 +0000

With the African Nations Cup about to kick off this weekend in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, it’s time to put the spotlight on Yaya Touré, the Ivorian international and Man City midfielder. In this part of a longer interview produced by his new endorser — Puma, an expanding commercial force in African football — the best-paid player in the English Premier League reflects on growing up in Ivory Coast, learning the game in Bouake, and then moving to big-time football in Abidjan.

Thanks to Tom McCabe for telling me about this interview.

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An Armchair Geography (and Preview?) of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations

Editor — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:23:41 +0000

By Andrew Guest (drewguest AT hotmail DOT com)

It’s that time again; the biennial opportunity for Africa’s best national teams to compete for the continental championship, and European club management to complain about the audacity of former colonies holding a tournament smack in the middle of the league season — extracting labor in a reverse flow that might promote some useful self-reflection, if not for the blinders fused on most of the professional football world.

It always good fun to watch the machinations, even from a distance — the actual football starts January 21 in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, and ends with the final on February 12 in Libreville, the capital of co-host Gabon. As in 2010 in Angola, most of us will be watching from a distance: the oil-rich states that CAF has recently favored in its hosting decisions are note easy places to get to.

According to trusty web travel agent “cheaptickets.com,” if I wanted to get from my current sabbatical home in Michigan, USA, to Equatorial Guinea in time for the first round my “lowest fare” would be a cool $2506.00; getting to Libreville Gabon, on the other hand, would only set me back $1517—of course then I’d have to work on the visa, the accommodations, and the game tickets . . .

So, as might by now be obvious, I tend to think of the tournament as much as a chance to polish my armchair socio-historical geography as it is a chance to enjoy some good football. A few years ago, when I was regularly writing for the web-site Pitch Invasion, the armchair hobby led me to speculate on a slight but significant “Francophone advantage” thanks to the complicated interactions of football talent flows, colonial history, and post-colonial immigration patterns. Of course, the fact that Egypt and its contingent of mostly domestically-based players and coaches have made a habit of claiming the Cup of Nations for its own (having won the last three in a row) doesn’t help my hypothesis.

But this time Egypt failed to qualify, Anglophone power Nigeria won’t be there, and the socio-historical power dynamics might once again find some space on the pitch. My somewhat miscellaneous tabular preview is below — this time without much commentary, leaving most of the hypothesizing to you (for now). I would just observe quickly that the French influence this year seems ubiquitous; 9 of 16 teams have Francophone history, the largest delegation of foreign coaches are French (4, compared to 7 locals—which is a fairly significant local contingent compared to recent tournaments), and 8 of 15 squads draw more players from French professional teams than from any other foreign league system (the 16th squad — Sudan — has an entirely domestic roster). Whether that proves an advantage or not, we’ll soon see.

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The Zebras Make History

Editor — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:36:45 +0000

By Hikabwa Decius Chipande in Gaborone, Botswana

Saturday, March 26, 2011, was a day of jubilation in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. The Zebras — Botswana’s national football team –- made history by qualifying for next year’s African Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The Zebras boasted an unbeaten record after defeating Tunisia and Togo — teams with World Cup finals experience — and needed three points in N’Djamena against hosts Chad to qualify for the first time for the prestigious biennial tournament. Botswana accomplished this task, amazingly, with two games to spare after beating Chad 1-0 and topping their qualification group with 16 points.

The day of the match between Botswana and Chad was full of excitement in Gaborone. A lot of people wore national football team regalia, while national colors adorned public transport buses and private cars. The mood in the city was electric and expectant such that one would think that the match was being played at the National Stadium in Gaborone.

When the match started, people watched it indoors on Botswana Television while motorists listened to radio commentary in their vehicles. Hundreds of people watched the match live on huge television screens erected in Fair Grounds in the middle of the city, courtesy of Orange — the mobile phone service provider and official sponsor of the national team. When the match started the city was quiet; one could only hear radio and television commentary echoing through the air.

Then in the 54th minute fans exploded in celebration when Botswana’s Jerome Ramatlhakwana scored. After the final whistle, there was euphoria in Gabs. A lot of people came out of their homes jumping and singing, while motorists were honking in all directions. The Botswana Football Association President, Mr. David Fan, pointed out that this qualification was long overdue and it means a lot for football in Botswana. “The people of Botswana have long been waiting for this moment. The fact that we have achieved this feat is a huge cause for celebrations,” said Mr. Fani.

For a country of about 1.8 million people, the historic win in Chad is no random occurrence. After the game, an overjoyed Stan Tshosane, the national team coach, thanked the team for their relentless effort and meticulous preparations. “It’s a culmination of hard work,” said Tshosane; “We knew what we were doing from the onset.”

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Mr. Shaw Kgathi, gave a statement in Parliament assuring the Zebras and the country’s football fans that the government of Botswana would continue funding and supporting the preparations for the 2012 African Nations Cup. The victorious Zebras will be given an official welcome reception by the President, Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama, on April 8 in Gaborone.

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Confusão continua…

David Patrick Lane — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:58:12 +0000

CAF have announced Togo will be disqualified if they do not materialize for the kick off of their fixture against Ghana tonight in Cabinda.

Rumours abound whether Botswana, The Republic of the Congo or Namibia will be invited to do a “Denmark”.

Cabinda’s separatist rebels, FLEC, have apologized for the attack, claiming it was a mistake to attack the Togolese, and have presented their condolences to the families of the deceased.

Pessimists supported by hustlers and vultures from the security and shock industry continue to make fear representations to the press about South Africa’s World Cup.

And it now seems Confusão has rubbed off on the Algerian defence, who are being torn to shreds by Malawi.

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Arsène’s Respect for Africa

David Patrick Lane — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:11:08 +0000

The response to the attack on the Togolese team from much of the rabble that constitutes the English Premier League was predictable. The emirs and oligarchs did not say much, leaving it to some of the old fashioned brass merchants to bellow about bringing their players “home”.

Arsène Wenger was not of the same mind.

When asked if he wanted to bring his players back to Britain (where let’s not forget Irish continuity forces still use the occasional bullet and bomb), Wenger was a beacon of sensibility and preferred to express his respect for Africa.

“We won’t be asking Fifa to release them, and I’ll be happy for Eboué to play in Cabinda on Monday,” said Wenger. “I believe it would be disrespectful to Africa and the Africa Nations Cup [to bring them home]. You can’t always encourage Africa to develop and if something happens say ‘come back to Europe’.”

“I don’t believe you can just stop any competition for any incident, because that would be a reward for the people who provoke these atrocities. It would mean any competition could be stopped at any time. An international federation has to make sure the security is well respected and good enough for the event. Of course, you have to leave it individually to some players so that, if they feel insecure or scared, they have the possibility to come away from it. But I personally feel the competition has to go on.”

The English game is richer not because of emirs and oligarchs, but because of men like Arsène Wenger who still live and breath football.

(I am sure some would like to trigger a discussion about Arsenal and other European clubs exploiting young African players. We can have that another time. Here, Wenger deserves credit for his optimism and confidence in Africa.)

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