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The World Cup has excited football fans around the globe, including African people of all nations. But while there are many reasons to be proud, especially of Ghana’s impressive win against America, there are also questions to be asked of the migration that players feel they must undertake to succeed in the football world.

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Ghana’s impressive defeat of the United States last week propelled them to the second round of the World Cup Finals, making them Africa’s only representative in the final sixteen. While Ghana’s success is a tremendous accomplishment for African football, it also provides a time for serious discussion of the difficult issue of labor migration and exploitation that is facing the sport. Of the 23 players Ghana brought to Germany, only 4 are signed with domestic clubs. The other 19 play professionally for clubs in Europe and Israel.

While the personal accomplishments of these athletes should not be disputed, the increasing flight of Africa’s finest players to Europe is indicative of a structural problem in African football. The “muscle exodus” as CAF president Issa Haytou has coined it, has grown tremendously in the past decade, fueled by the nearly 20 to 1 wage discrepancy between African and European clubs.[1] European clubs increasingly use their financial advantage to recruit Africa's best players when they are as young as 14 years old.

Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA, has characterized the increasing labor migration as a form of neo-colonialism. “I find it unhealthy, if not despicable,” Blatter explains, “for rich clubs to send scouts shopping in Africa, South America and Asia to 'buy' the most promising players there. This leaves those who trained them in their early years with nothing but cash for their trouble. Dignity and integrity tend to fall by the wayside in what has become a glorified body market.” [2]

As the best talent is lured out of Africa, the quality of the sport on the continent is undermined. Local leagues are left with lower standards of play, reinforcing the conception that leaving Africa is the only choice for promising footballers.[3] In addition, African national teams' performance has historically been hurt when European clubs refuse to release African footballers to play for their home countries, fearing injury to their star players. While FIFA regulations now compel clubs to release players, there is a legal battle in the European Court of Justice as to whether clubs can demand monetary compensation for injuries that take place during national competitions.[4] If the legal challenge is successful, the potential financial cost to FIFA could put the current regulations in jeopardy.

By far the most damaging aspect of the current “muscle exodus” is the exploitation of young African footballers by profiteering agents. Youth tournaments held throughout Africa serve as recruitment venues for European agents. Some players, such as the stars of Ghana’s team, end up signing lucrative contracts with European clubs. However, for every success story there are scores of others who are brought to Europe to train and are then abandoned. The economist Wladimir Andreff explains, “Most young players transferred to European professional clubs ultimately do not sign a contract and then are left aside, cut off from their family, friends, and home country, with no source of income and no assistance.” These youth, left in Europe as illegal immigrants with no way to support themselves, in some cases, have even resorted to prostitution to survive [5]. While it is now against FIFA regulations to transfer minors from their home country, the practice continues to exist on the black market. "Non-affiliated football academies" in Africa continue to train and recruit young players for European export, bypassing FIFA regulations [6]. Since ambitious young footballers see moving to Europe as their only chance of success, they are easy targets for such exploitation.

As all of Africa celebrates Ghana’s success, it is an important opportunity to discuss the great potential of truly African national football and the dangers that the current “muscle exodus” poses to this as well as to the athletes themselves. Hopefully the success of Ghana’s national team will challenge the prevailing belief that moving to Europe is the only viable option for aspiring African footballers as well as raise awareness around the injustice that is currently football's status quo.

Matt Bosch is an intern with Fahamu.

* Please send comments to or comment online at www.pambazuka.org

[1] Andreff, Wladimir. “The Taxation of Player Moves from Developing Countries.” In Rodney Fort & John Fizel, eds., International Sports Economics Comparisons, Westport & London, Praeger 2004 (pp. 87-103).
[2] Blatter, Joseph. “Soccer’s greedy neo-colonialists,” Financial Times. 17 December 2003. London (pp. 19).
[3] Akindes, Gerard, Paul Darby, and Matt Kirwin. “Football Academies and the Migration of African Football Labour to Europe.” Presented at “Soccer, Nationalism, and Globalization.” University of California, Los Angeles. 31 May 2006.
[4] “Sport: Governance of Football Lies at Heart of Charleroi Court Case,” European Report. 12 June 2006.
[5] Akindes et al
[6] Ibid