Africa my Africa ... On a weekend when the CAF Champions League winner will be decided, African sports media has been dominated by the Manchester derby, the Bayern-Dortmund classico etc. Rather than all sights being trained on Blida, we are all turning from Manchester to Munich. To what end I ask? and have always asked. The only response I have received is quality entertainment. Go tell CAF or the NFF to fix the game and we will come watching again. The lack of understanding of the economic consequences, among others, of this MENTALITY is simply staggering, and in many ways it defines why with all our boasts of Harvard certificates and all, we remain the poorest continent in the world. Supporting African football is neither a favour nor a patriotic duty, it is simply common business sense. Tonight, the English and German economies will received record new numbers in viewership, gate receipts, all-round business sales etc, but not in Blida. Yet some of the money - insignificant to the world, but a decent in Africa - will come from us. Our businesses are folding up. I watched Kickoffghana shut down, then Kickoffnigeria too. Those are the high profile ones. How many others have folded? How much will the Manchester derby put on your table tonight and tomorrow? Yet I will bet with any that tonight in Leeds (except by the immigrants), all talk will be on on Leeds Uniteds game with Cardiff - not even the Manchester derby or whats happening in Germany. These guys understand why the jobs have to stay in Leeds - and not even go to Manchester. I like football and follow it globally, but I am not a supporter of any football club outside Nigeria-Africa. I cannot be pumping my little resources into the English economy. How would my children see me and themselves? I cannot live with my children living the dreams of their contemporaries in other parts of the world - condemning them to a life that has third class written all over it. It is no longer tenable to preach quality, because it means you do not understand the business implications of your actions. I hear a lecturer of Economics in the Lagos Business School is a Liverpool fan. Presidents in Africa are fans of European clubs, everyday nothing offends me more than an NFF executive drooling over his European team of the week on radio. But Im assured by the reality that if my take on this is wrong then Africa would have surplus jobs and well be rich. For me, the saddest reality is we impress none but ourselves with this. Its time for us to wake up and seize the initiative to make African football work. There is no successful economy in the world without a sports pillar.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 11:07:27 +0000
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