Interesting article on the bizzare level of interest Africa has for the Premier Leagu

Pisco Sour

Ridiculous stuff to be honest!


http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9b92beae-fc91-11de-bc51-00144feab49a.html

Africans may find their Cup not English enough

By Simon Kuper

Published: January 8 2010 23:26 | Last updated: January 8 2010 23:26

When the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Angola tomorrow, many African soccer fans will ignore it. Instead they will keep gathering in “show houses”, “chicken parlours” and cinemas across the continent to watch the English Premier League. This may be more than a change in viewing habits. Just possibly, it could signify that the brief era of nationalism in Africa is ending.

Of course many Africans, especially in former British colonies, have long consumed English football. In Zimbabwe a decade ago I saw street vendors selling ancient copies of the British football magazine Shoot. White and black yuppies crammed into a Harare sports bar to watch Manchester United. (What has happened to those people since?)

In Uganda, the shared matatu taxis are often painted in the colours of big English clubs. “You’ll Never Walk Alone: Liverpool Football Club”, is a typical decoration. And David Goldblatt, author of the seminal football history The Ball Is Round, describes visiting a Nairobi nightclub for “reggae night” only to find patrons watching a fourth-round English League Cup match on big screens. In Nairobi’s slums, Goldblatt saw tin shacks painted with the elaborately detailed crests of English clubs. On the same trip, he attended the deciding game of the Kenyan championship and discovered: “I was the press corps”. Only one Kenyan journalist had bothered to show up.

So far, so unremarkable: Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe have weak footballing traditions, so no wonder they follow English soccer instead. Supporting Manchester United, say, attaches people to something that feels world-class. But during the 2008 African nations cup, Muhammed Musa, senior lecturer in mass communications at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, returned to his native Nigeria and found something surprising: even Nigerians are turning off African football.

In recent years “football show houses” have opened all over Nigeria, Mr Musa told a football conference in Toronto last month. Often they are simple sheds, where people pay to watch English games as humble as Fulham vs Bolton on television. “These places are jam-packed,” said Mr Musa.

He visited show houses during the African nations cup to observe the crowds, he said, “but to my surprise there were not many people there”. Even when Nigeria played, few Nigerians turned up. The proprietors told Mr Musa the nations cup was ruining their finances: “People are not interested,” they complained. “We can’t wait for this to end so the Premier League can resume.”

Mr Musa polled customers in show houses and found that 90 per cent owned European club souvenirs – replica shirts, for example – but not national ones. He was also struck by what had happened to national television news. The evening bulletin had always been at 9pm, and had helped build the nation by gathering Nigerians in front of the television. In recent years, though, it had sometimes moved if it clashed with a game between two of England’s Big Four clubs. “Now this national ‘we-ness’ is built around Liverpool vs Chelsea,” Mr Musa marvelled.

During some big European games, he said, tensions in Nigerian cities had risen so high that people were reluctant to park their cars in certain spots. Nine deaths were recorded in one town alone when Chelsea and Manchester United met in the Champions League final in 2008. After Barcelona beat Manchester United last year, an angry United fan in Ogbo killed four people when he drove into a crowd of Barca supporters. Mr Musa concluded: “We are seeing people support corporate teams with their lives. The importance of the nation is diminishing, and what is replacing it is allegiance to a corporate club.”

This may sound like an overstatement, but then in much of Africa the nation became an important concept only during the 20th century. In many African countries, the most successful national institution is the national football team. When people stop caring about it, less nation remains

Johner

I remember reading about an Arsenal fan in Africa commiting suicide because Arsenal lost a match.

http://www.africanews.com/site/Arsenal_fan_commits_suicide_in_Kenya/list_messages/24711

Xavi6

Hardly 'bizarre' when you consider how many Africans play and have played in the league.

GLaDOS

Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe have weak footballing traditions, so no wonder they follow English soccer instead. Supporting Manchester United, say, attaches people to something that feels world-class.

hmm...

Pisco Sour

Xavi6 wrote: »

Hardly 'bizarre' when you consider how many Africans play and have played in the league.

If rival fans killing each other over the result of a football match taking place thousands of miles away (and in a country most of these people havent ever been to I may add) isnt bizzare, then I dont know what is! :rolleyes:

Rekop dog

In fairness we're the exact same in this country! Our league is equally as poorly funded and sh*t so we watch the league where most of our decent players apply their trade. Absolutely no difference!

Pisco Sour

Rekop dog wrote: »

In fairness we're the exact same in this country! Our league is equally as poorly funded and sh*t so we watch the league where most of our decent players apply their trade. Absolutely no difference!

We dont murder opposition fans over the result of said football games

Pisco Sour

Rekop dog wrote: »

In fairness we're the exact same in this country! Our league is equally as poorly funded and sh*t so we watch the league where most of our decent players apply their trade. Absolutely no difference!

Also, in Ireland the majority of people are more interested in the Ireland football team than in their favourite football team in England. In Africa it appears to be the other way around!

GLaDOS

04072511 wrote: »

We dont murder opposition fans over the result of said football games

In fairness, Africa isn't particularly well known for its record of people not killing each other. It's more a reflection of society then their following of football

pickarooney

Rekop dog wrote: »

In fairness we're the exact same in this country! Our league is equally as poorly funded and sh*t so we watch the league where most of our decent players apply their trade. Absolutely no difference!

We do watch the European Football Chmpionship though, even more so if we ever qualified for it.

Rekop dog

04072511 wrote: »

We dont murder opposition fans over the result of said football games

They're murder rate is far far bigger anyway, Id say a lot of the murders aren't directly as a result of the actual games but from failure to pay betting depts and the like.

Cool Running

Ya its huge over there. I was watching the United Birmingham match on the first weekend of the season in a bar in Nairobi airport and the place was buzzin. Huge following.Taught it was kinda cool watching Keith Fahey on TV in Africa

_blank_

04072511 wrote: »

We dont murder opposition fans over the result of said football games

There are instances of Irish people killing other Irish people after a football match in another country

http://www.heraldscotland.com/loyalist-mob-murders-father-after-celtic-and-rangers-games-1.910948

_blank_

Also, lol at this topic on Boards.ie

leninbenjamin

Des wrote: »

There are instances of Irish people killing other Irish people after a football match in another country

http://www.heraldscotland.com/loyalist-mob-murders-father-after-celtic-and-rangers-games-1.910948

fair point, but I don't think you quite grasp the social dynamic there...

JPA

04072511 wrote: »

Also, in Ireland the majority of people are more interested in the Ireland football team than in their favourite football team in England. In Africa it appears to be the other way around!

I don't think that's true either.

stovelid

04072511 wrote: »

In recent years “football show houses” have opened all over Nigeria, Mr Musa told a football conference in Toronto last month. Often they are simple sheds, where people pay to watch English games as humble as Fulham vs Bolton on television. “These places are jam-packed,” said Mr Musa.

Showhousers?

OPENROAD

04072511 wrote: »

Also, in Ireland the majority of people are more interested in the Ireland football team than in their favourite football team in England. In Africa it appears to be the other way around!

Wouldn't be so sure

noodler

04072511 wrote: »

If rival fans killing each other over the result of a football match taking place thousands of miles away (and in a country most of these people havent ever been to I may add) isnt bizzare, then I dont know what is! :rolleyes:

You put words in his mouth there.

speedboatchase

Good for them, I don't watch Irish league matches either

tdv

speedboatchase wrote: »

Good for them, I don't watch Irish league matches either

Me neither.

Gavin "shels"

speedboatchase wrote: »

Good for them, I don't watch Irish league matches either

tdv wrote: »

Me neither.

Not from Northern Ireland? League of Ireland is the Ireland National league.

Also heard of "Interesting article on the bizzare level of interest Ireland has for the English Premier League" and some showhouses (aka pubs).

Gavin "shels"

JPA wrote: »

I don't think that's true either.

Neither do I, count the amount of English club jerseys in any city or town in Ireland every week and well that probably will sumit up lovely.