For the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup Africa has six representatives. Because hosted in Africa, Africa has one more team than the five allocated by FIFA since 1998. The undeniable and remarkable performances of Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 gives us many reasons to be optimistic and hopeful for African football performance in South Africa. The visible gain in competitiveness provides by African players in Europe boosts our hope for great performance of African teams at the World Cup. But other facts suggest otherwise.
In spite all the European base players African teams performance remained average at the World Cup in Germany in 2006. African players and global stars such as Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o and other African players achievements in Europe are great satisfaction for most Africans. But the reality may simply be an illusion of greatness for most of African football. Indeed the performance on the world stage, although satisfactory, remains average and below Africans expectations. Pele’s prediction “An African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000″ yet to be realized. South Africa 2010 will probably not see Pele’s prediction happen. Playing in British Premiership, Bundesliga, Calcio or Liga is prestigious but does not automatically equate to exceptional teams and contrary it may have some long run consequences as discussed by Peter Alegi.
Expecting an African team beyond the quarter final is a dream. This dream coming through will definitively generate a collective feeling good across the Africa and its Diaspora. As well as South Africa hosting the World Cup, another quarter final will continue to scratch the surface of historical long lasting stereotypes about Africa. Like President Zuma all Africans, we dream about an African Victory. But realistically, for all African teams, reaching the second round or, who knows, another quarter final will be an achievement.
One thing that seems so funny is that players such as Drogba and Eto’ o shine as hell for their clubs and then do SO AVERAGE for their national teams (except when qualifying for the African Cup of Nations, where they face the many substandard teams that do not qualify for the actual tournament).
This above statement can be justified by how at this year’s African Cup of Nations, Drogba and Eto’ o were so substandard (as compared to their stellar club form in the months leading to the tournament) that there were even allegations from lots of fans throughout Africa, that the money they get (when on club duty) is behind their stellar performances. This is as compared to the peanuts they get, when on club duty.
A good thing is that even national teams in other continents are facing this same problem with players such as Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi facing the same fate as Drogba and Eto’o .
This difference between club form, and national form, for most African players is perplexing. The reason for this may be the players themselves, the foreign coaches hired, or even the local FAs (for not doing enough to unearth other talented players within their borders).
As for Pele’s prediction of an African country winning the World Cup, that will probably have to wait another 30 years (or whenever it is that the World Cup is going to come back to Africa again). With Brazil being the only country to have won the World Cup on a foreign continent, African teams will probably have to wait a LONG time to copy that achievement.