National Public Radio: History of Soccer in Africa

By Peter Alegi | June 9th, 2010 1 Comment

Melissa Block of NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’ interviewed me about soccer’s long history in Africa. Soccer was brought to Africa by British colonials in the mid-1800s. The first documented game on the continent was played in South Africa in 1862, a year before soccer’s official rules were codified. As I argue in African Soccerscapes, soccer has been an important sport in Africa for as long as it was played in Europe.

Click here to listen to the interview and read a transcript.

Was also interviewed by and quoted in this New York Times article: Soccer Returns to its Roots in Africa