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Many young Africans dream of becoming the next
Samuel Eto'o. AFP
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A major survey into
global football shows that life for the vast majority of African footballers is
a far cry from the glitz and glamour of those lucky enough to play in the
world's top leagues, writes Piers Edwards.
The
International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFpro), a trade union of
sorts, has conducted a global survey of nearly 14,000 professional footballers
in 54 countries - the largest ever undertaken.
Over
3,000 of the players who took part in the survey are from 13 African countries:
Botswana, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya,
Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.
While
many young Africans dream of becoming the next Didier Drogba or Samuel Eto'o,
the data collected by FIFpro paints a dark picture of the reality of life as a
footballer on the continent.
Physical abuse
One
of the most shocking findings of the survey is that physical abuse of
footballers in Africa is the worst in the world.
Players
in Ghana are 10 times more likely than the global average to be physically
attacked by club seniors.
They
face multiple forms of abuse:
§ Racial abuse often by
fans or other players
§ Violent attacks on the
pitch or outside
§ Intimidation into signing
contracts
§ Isolation as a form of
punishment
Players
also reported very high levels of discrimination - which FIFpro categorized as
either racial, sexual or religious - by fans, other players, coaching staff and
third parties.
Strangely,
this was only equalled by Scotland - whose discrimination is largely driven by
the religious divide between Catholic Celtic and Protestant Rangers.
In
South Africa and DR Congo, violent attacks on players by other players are
three times higher than the global average.
DR
Congo has the highest rate of players being physically attacked by fans on a
match day, with Kenya coming a close second.
There
is also evidence of what FIFpro calls "a form of solitary
confinement", amounting to mental abuse.
The
survey found that the players most likely to be ordered to train alone are in
Africa.
This
applied to 7.6% of players - more than double the tally of footballers in
Europe or the Americas.
More
players in Africa than anywhere else said this was to pressure them into
signing a contract.
Poor pay
When
it came to pay, 100% of footballers in Ghana said they earned less than US$1,000
(£800) a month.
The
best-paid African nation when it came to earning over US$1,000 a month was
Morocco, although players there were the most insecure on the continent about
their future.
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Despite
the relative success of its clubs such as Zamalek (above) Egypt features poorly
in the survey with regard to pay. AFP
|
Egypt's
league is widely seen as the strongest in Africa - with two of its clubs having
been crowned African champions more than anyone else.
Al
Ahly have won eight titles, Zamalek five (with just one other club, TP Mazembe
of DR Congo, also on five).
Yet
the Egyptian league is the fifth worst-paid of the 13 surveyed in Africa.
Over
90% of players said they were paid under US$1,000 a month, which may be
equivalent to Europe's worst-paid surveyed country (Ukraine) but which reflects
poorly against the tally of just 5% in Morocco.
Have
the figures been compromised by the Egyptian league's recent troubles?
Stadium
disasters in 2012 and 2015 have resulted in fans being largely barred from
matches, all but annihilating gate receipts (and hugely damaging the domestic
game).
The
survey's highest rate of payment delays was in Africa - with over half the
continent's respondents saying they had suffered.
In
Gabon, which will host the Africa Nations Cup in January, a whopping 96% of
players reported payment delays.
Contracts
Africa
has the greatest number of footballers without a written contract, according to
the survey, with 40% of players saying they lack a copy of their contract.
The
three worst scoring countries surveyed were Cameroon (65% lacked a copy), Gabon
(60%) and Ivory Coast (60%).
Africa's
superior treatment of foreign nationals in daily life is reflected in its
football, with expatriates disproportionately more likely to have written
contracts than local players.
In
a move that Fifpro says avoids "taxes, protective labour legislation… and
other provisions safeguarding the interests of players," many Africa-based
players were paid through secondary image-rights contracts, which normally
reward a player based on his commercial value.
Surprisingly,
more Africans receive remuneration this way - 11% - than those in the promised
land of Europe.
In
Gabon and Zimbabwe, this applies to 32% and 30% respectively of players.
A glimmer of good news
But
all is not bleak in the survey's findings.
When
it comes to paid annual leave, Ivory Coast and Namibia are shining examples, in
that both give players more than 30 days per year.
In
contrast, the powerhouse of Egypt doesn't look so good - with 93% of
respondents saying they have less than 10 days of paid annual leave a year.
A
stand-out 99.5% of players in Tunisia, meanwhile, are given a full day off
every week.
In
the rest of the continent, however, almost a third of Africa-based players say
they do not have a full day off each week.
Job security
In
no other continent do so many players fear for their future.
When
players were asked if they felt insecure about their job, 11 of the top 13
countries to express such concerns in the entire survey were African.
Despite
their relative wealth, Morocco and Gabon feature highly.
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African
players abroad are used to the photo call after being signed, but on the
continent many recruits are given no contracts. AFP
|
Perhaps
surprisingly, players in Zimbabwe - a country where the local FA is so
cash-strapped its inability to pay a former coach resulted in its suspension
from the 2018 World Cup - felt the most secure of the 13 African countries.
Match fixing
Previous
research by FIFpro suggests that non-payment of footballers' salaries may be a
significant factor in increasing the risk of match-fixing approaches.
Coupled
with low wages, is it any surprise that Africa has the highest rate of
approaches - standing at 8.3% of those surveyed?
However,
this needs context. This means that nearly 92% have not been approached, a
figure that is almost equivalent to Europe (94.1%).
Furthermore,
while 10.1% of the Africans surveyed said they were aware of match-fixing in their
league, that is only slightly higher than those in Europe - 9.8%.
Three
of the five countries reporting the biggest problems were European, whereas a
number of African countries reported relatively low numbers of approaches.
The dismal record of DR
Congo
Seemingly
the last place you would want to be a professional footballer in Africa is DR
Congo.
Some
89% of players in DR Congo have no written employment contract - a figure
double that of any other nation in the 54-country survey.
The
number of players who have experienced violent attacks by other players is
three times the global average in DR Congo.
In
addition, one in four Congo-based players say they have been attacked on a
match day by fans - the survey's highest rate.
Even
violence on a non-match day in the country is three times the global average.
One
in five players say they have been bullied or harassed by colleagues, and the
same tally say they have been pressurized into renewing a contract (another
figure that is unsurpassed).
Another
sign of poor working conditions is that over half the Congolese players say
they do not have a day off each week.
Does any of the above explain why a staggering 56% of players say they are aware of match-fixing in the Congolese league?
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