By Charles Anyiam (c).
The beautiful game in Africa, is today, in a state of flux.
It seems stuck in a time warp.
Everything about it, sounds tentative, or sounds like the nursery folklore, most of us from the English-speaking West Africa grew up with, as children, known as: “shokolokobangoshe”.
For context, the tongue-twister is not a gobbledygook, but a fable about animals trying to remember the difficult name of a bossy mean old woman named “shokolokobangoshe”.
Researching for this story, I arrived exactly at a confusing juncture, just as the animals in the nursery story.
What in the world, is going on with our soccer?
A big money business, global soccer has become the playground of mafia-type interests.
Endowed with the physicality and the dexterity, that is best suited for the game, Africa and people of African origin have become the mainstay of the game.
The backbone.
Therefore, one would have thought that the overall management standards of the game of soccer (football) in Africa, should have, by simple logic, been growing at parity with that of the rest of the world.
Not so.
In contrast, and in so many things Black and African, the story is painfully different.
Poor administration, meddlesomeness, and mismanagement of talents and resources, have become its bane.
With the increasing dominance of players of African origin around the global arena, you would have ordinarily thought that the capacity of those charged with running the affairs of game in the continent would have risen commensurately with the challenges of the times.
Available records show that soccer players of African descent account roughly for 32% of global tournament rosters, and nearly 50% in English Premier League (EPL), alone.
Of this number, between six to seven percent of the total player base across Europe’s top 11 leagues are African-born.
Interestingly, same can be said of the racial mix in leagues in parts of Central and South America, particularly Brazil where most of the players are either black or mestizo.
However, back in the continent, the game’s governing body has had an unflattering record of underperformance.
As a result, African soccer has ignobly been treated by the global body – FIFA – like a stepchild.
Under the current tenure of FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, I am getting increasingly concerned and uncomfortable with the relationship between him and Patrice Motsepe, the South African billionaire who heads the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Both men are known to share similar interests, which observers believe is obviously not in the overall interest of the game in Africa, chiefly their mercantilist approach to the game.
Not that there is anything wrong with wealth creation.
If you may know, I am an unapologetic capitalist.
In my younger days, I had messed around with socialist ideas, but as I grew older, and wiser, I came to my senses, and soon realized that money and wealth make the world go around.
And I threw out socialism, alongside all socialist ideologies.
Back to African soccer, Infantino, and Motsepe.
Recently, most of the soccer world openly pushed back on Infantino’s secret attempt to privatize and sell a minority commercial stake in the World Cup, and other tournaments to private equity investors.
The plan was to spin off a new commercial entity to control ticketing, hospitality and broadcasting rights for roughly $4.2 billion to $20 billion, depending on the structure.
Leading the pushback were Europe’s UEFA, North America’s CONCACAF, and the Asian Football Federation (AFC).
It is curiously interesting that the only holdout were the Africans.
Under Motspe, the Africans, sided with Infantino.
The CAF president said, at the time, that his organization’s decision was due to a long history of financial backing, political alignment, and personal loyalty.
Sounds like shokolokobangoshe.
Or, that the dog ate my homework.
Ridiculous.
With an eye to replacing his brother-in-law, Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria as the president of South Africa, I understand why Patrice backed his friend and business partner, Infantino, in his unfortunate gambit.
Under Motsepe, many people I interviewed for this story, believe that African soccer has fared rather badly.
When he hustled and literally grabbed the mantle of the governing body in 2021, there were high hopes that as a trained lawyer, he would judiciously transform the game in the continent, after the corruption-laden, arduously long tenure (1988-2017) of the late Issa Hayatou of Cameroon.
But, what irks me the most, is that Motsepe is not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to soccer administration in the continent.
He came on the scene when almost every known player in the business of soccer administration in Africa had been financially compromised, one way or the other.
I can name names. And when I do, I will do it, backed with facts, figures and data.
But at this time, I will resist the temptation.
There will definitely be a more auspicious time, to do an autopsy.
What many may not know is that I cut my teeth as a reporter, and spent my early days in journalism on the sports beat, under the mentorship of some of the best sports editors in African journalism, such as the late Samuel Babatunde Osuntolu (Esbee), and one of the gurus in the business, Uncle Peter Osugo (Pecos).
On the present state of the game in the continent, I believe that with the Motsepes of this world, its growth will likely remain in slow motion because it seems like these fellows are in it for their own selfish reasons.
That is why Motsepe is virtually in bed with Gianni Infantino.
It is a business adventure for them, and their cronies. Short and simple.
They have routinely turned Africa into a harvesting ground for young talents, meant to end up in other major markets, especially in Europe, and now, the rich Gulf states.
They have shown no interest, nor the gumption in the growing of the local leagues, neither are they interested in making a difference in reshaping the present state of the game within the continent, and to elevate it to par with the rest of the successful soccer world.
In a recent policy volte face, the Patrice Motsepe-led CAF tinkered with exploring a return to a biennial (two-year) cycle for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), after announcing a shift to a four-year schedule.
The four-year format quickly drew sharp criticisms and pressure from member federations and stakeholders who accused the CAF leadership of cow towing to the whims of Infantino and his band of business partners, and to the discomfiture of the growth of the game in the region.
Solution.
I am looking forward to the day when technocrats with the right political consciousness, savvy and intellectual capacity are tapped to superintend the future of African soccer.
I already have a gentleman in mind – Tidjan Thiam of Côte d’Ivoire.
And, a number of others.
A consummate global corporate titan, Tidjan is the new face of corporate leadership export, out of the continent.
His credentials are not only impeccable, he has the kind of sensitivity that could take African soccer to the next stratosphere.
Well respected all over the world as a top banker, Tidjan was the former chief executive officer of the Swiss bank, Credit Suisse, he ran for his country’s highest office against incumbent, President Alassane Quattara.
But, he was virtually ‘muscled out’ of contention.
The challenge will be in persuading Tidjan to accept the challenge of transforming African soccer into a global force that will translate into tangible and sustainable results for the continent.
He seems bent on taking the reins of power in his native country.
And I think he should. He is preeminently capable and qualified.
Quattara has done well. But, Tidjan Thiam can do better for his Ivorian people.
Nonetheless, the point is not just about Tidjan Thiam, when it comes to the stabilization of African soccer.
It is about what he represents – excellence, moxie and deliverability.
I can confidently report that there are so many Tidjans both within the borders of the continent, and her Diaspora, who can save African soccer from the brink of mediocrity.
I know quite a few them. And, I know where to find them.
I rest my case..
*ANYIAM IS THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE AFRICAN TIMES/USA, A NATIONAL US NEWS JOURNAL, WITH ITS INTERNATIONAL OFFICES IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A MEDIA ANALYST, AUTHOR (‘HOW TO WIN ALL THE TIME – POWER QUOTES TO LIVE BY’ ON AMAZON), PUBLIC SPEAKER, AND A DIPLOMAT.
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