Paul Darby - Africa, Football and FIFA: Politics, Colonialism and Resistance

Sport in the Global Society

General Editor: J.A. Mangan

SPORT IN THE GLOBAL SOCIETY

General Editor: J.A. Mangan

The interest in sports studies around the world is growing and will continue to do so. This unique series combines aspects of the expanding study of sport in the global society, providing comprehensiveness and comparison under one editorial umbrella. It is particularly timely, with studies in the political, cultural, anthropological, ethnographic, social, economic, geographical and aesthetic elements of sport proliferating in institutions of higher education.

Eric Hobsbawm once called sport one of the most significant practices of the late nineteenth century. Its significance was even more marked in the late twentieth century and will continue to grow in importance into the new millennium as the world develops into a global village sharing the English language, technology and sport.

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PAUL DARBY

Liverpool Hope University College

First published in 2002 in Great Britain by
FRANK CASS PUBLISHERS
Crown House, 47 Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 5BP

and in the United States of America by
FRANK CASS PUBLISHERS
c/o ISBS, 5824 N.E. Hassalo Street
Portland, Oregon 97213-3644

Website: www.frankcass.com

Transferred to Digital Printing 2005

Copyright 2002 Paul Darby

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Darby, Paul
Africa, football and FIFA: politics, colonialism and
resistance. (Sport in the global society; no. 23)
1. Federation Internationale de Football Association
2. Soccer Africa 3. Soccer Political aspects Africa
4. Africa Colonial influence
I. Title 796.334096

ISBN 0-7146-4968-6 (cloth)
ISBN 0-7146-8029-X (paper)
ISSN 1368-9789

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Darby, Paul, 1971
Africa, football, and FIFA: politics, colonialism, and resistance/
Paul Darby.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
ISBN 0-7146-4968-6 (cloth) ISBN 0-7146-8029-X (paper)
1. SoccerAfrica-History. 2. SoccerPolitical aspectsAfrica.
3. Fdration Internationale de football association. I. Title.
GV944.A4 D37 2001
796.334096dc21
2001002915

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher of this book.

Dedicated to the memory of

James Gerard Devlin
19611997

Paul Darby takes us on a journey covering various aspects of the development of football in Africa and the impact of the establishment of FIFA on the African game and vice versa.

In my view, the current circumstances within which the book is being read is where the book ends, namely the largely undocumented story of African football in the international context in the early years of the twenty-first century. The narrow defeat, almost by penalty shoot-out, of the 2006 bid to host the World Cup Finals in Africa is of special interest. In a way, this narrow loss of an African bid to host the Cup Finals in South Africa in 2006 encapsulates and epitomises the history of football in Africa during the previous century in relation to the international community and the internationally organised game. Sadly, the bulk of the story of African football reads almost like a subtext of the history of dominance by mainly European football and the scramble to maintain its position of power. Africa and African football were one of the pitches on which this struggle for, and exercise of, Eurocentric power was played out.

After the 2006 bid, much publicity and emphasis were given to the deciding vote of one person leading to the narrow defeat of an African bid. Bitter and painful as it was, this matter should not be centre stage. And the fact that the bid was awarded to Germany made good sense. It was a sound decision in as far as Germanys capacity to deliver a successful 2006 World Cup Finals.

I suggest that the real issue to be addressed is quite different. In general and seen from an African point of view, the central issue is the closeness of the vote. It is my contention that the outcome should never have been so closely contested. An opportunity to make and correct history was missed.

It is a well-known fact that FIFA was faced with the historical choice between innovation and change on the one hand and the reinforcement of established patterns on the other. It amounted to a decision between Africa (South Africa) and Europe (Germany). Consequently the words of FIFAs President in announcing the success of Germanys bid amounts to a profound statement on the history of the game and the sense of history that prevailed at the time. He indicated that the decision was a choice in favour of a return of the event to one of the traditional football powers. The comment is a historical observation that did not pass unnoticed. A wider and critical sense of the history of football amongst decision makers, with particular reference to the history of football in Africa as presented in this book, would probably have provided a different outcome in favour of Africa or at least an outcome less close than it was. The decision now stands as a matter of historical record.

It is hoped that the decision not to give Africa the 2006 World Cup Finals will result in an end to a history characterised by the traditional powers unbalanced exercise of influence over the development of the game in Africa. The urgent need to ensure that this becomes reality is to be seen in the threat of greater marginalisation of African football both in an economic and political sense, in the post-1990 era of globalisation.