The 2016 European Championship is set to light up the northern hemisphere summer as the continent’s best battle for what is the second biggest prize in world football.
A new, expanded format will see the number of teams compete in France raised from 16 to 24, providing more football for the watching world and more opportunities for players with African roots to shine.
It is a great irony that at the highest level of European football, many teams will rely heavily on players of African descent for success.
Some were born in Africa, while others have ties to the continent through their immigrant parents, but have decided to wear the colors of the country in which they were raised.
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Many were cast into European life when their families fled violence, poverty and famine, and have little or no feeling towards a continent that they have not lived in. But this is not the case for all.
The reality for many players is that the chances of being successful in a World Cup are greater with a European nation, and the financial rewards far outweigh those of competing for an African team.
It has not been an easy decision for many players and some have faced prejudice for it in the land of their birth.
Such has been the success of players of African descent in France that in 2011 reports emerged that a quota of no more than 30% black players would be allowed in academies feeding into the national team. This caused outrage, and was denied by the French Football Federation, but shows the influence of the African player on the European game.
France’s strong ties to West and North Africa make it an obvious leader in this arena, but players of African descent are popping up in the national teams of Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
Veteran French defender Patrice Evra will likely have his international swansong at the Championships on home soil, despite being born in Dakar to a Senegalese father and Cape Verdean mother. He reveals how his decision to play for France, where he spent much of his formative years, made him a target back in Senegal.
“I grew up amid a Senegalese culture at home,” he told reporters. “But we became westernized very quickly and when I had to choose between playing for Senegal or France my father told me to follow my heart.”
“I opted for France, as that was where I had grown up, but I then came in for lots of abuse in Senegal. I was called a monkey who grovels before the white man and labelled a money-obsessed traitor to the nation. But my parents helped me get through it.”
His national teammate, goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, was born in Kinshasa but turned his back on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to play for France.
That, ironically, allowed his brother Parfait, who was born in France and is also a goalkeeper, to play international football for the DRC.
Stade Rennes winger Paul-Georges Ntep is part of the latest generation, seen as a rising star of French football but was born in Cameroon. He moved to Paris at the age of eight to live with an aunt and turned down numerous overtures from the Indomitable Lions to play for them before he was awarded his first French cap last year.
Another player also chased for a long time was Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kanté, who was born in Paris to Malian parents. He admits he chose France purely for the opportunity to play in the European Championships.
“It’s a chance to play the Euro in France,” he said. “Regarding Mali, for a while, it’s true they contacted me. It was not necessarily an easy choice to make. But I chose the France team.”
It is likely that as much as 60% of France’s squad at Euro 2016 will be made up of players either born in, or with parents from, Africa.
Belgium, who are perhaps the most open of all European nations to immigrants, have seen their national team briefly perched on top of the FIFA World Rankings this year with a meteoric rise on the back of, it’s fair to say, their players of African descent.
Star striker Romelu Lukaku was born in Belgium where his father Roger, a Zaire international, was playing. His brother Jordan also plays for Belgium.
Lukaku’s major rival for a starting place in the Belgium line-up is Christian Benteke, who was born in Kinshasa but whose family fled to Belgium during the reign of Mobutu Sese Seko.
The same can be said for the parents of Vincent Kompany, who, injury-willing, will be leading Belgium at the finals, while Divock Origi, like Benteke a forward at Liverpool, was born in Belgium where his father Mike, a Kenyan international, was playing for KV Oostende.
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Origi had seriously considered a future with Kenya even as his star was on the rise in Europe, but in the end a mixture of factors drove him towards playing for Belgium.
“I remember at that time there was some stand-off between the league and federation. He read about that stuff and it really put him off,” his father Mike told journalists.
“But obviously there were other issues, like playing at the Euros or World Cup for a big national team in Europe.”
“Nevertheless, Divock is a Kenyan with a Belgium passport. He speaks fluent Kiswahili, comes to Kenya often and enjoys Kenyan food the most.”
Tottenham Hotspur youngster Dele Alli, the toast of English football, has a Nigerian father Kenny, who claims his son is actually a prince in the Yoruba tribe that makes up about 20% of the country’s population.
Another young English star, Ross Barkley of Everton, has a Nigerian grandfather and was courted by that country before pinning his colours to the England mast.
Experienced Swiss international Johan Djourou, born in the Ivory Coast, says he feels lucky to have “escaped” playing for an African nation, even if he feels strong roots in the land of his birth.
“When you are in Africa there are a lot more difficulties and I was lucky enough to escape that. Other players like [Ivory Coast internationals] Emmanuel Eboué and Kolo Touré have made it through there but when you are European you have more options.”
Not all players born in Europe have opted to represent countries from that continent though. The likes of Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), Yannick Bolasie (DRC) and the toast of European football, Leicester City playmaker Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), have all chosen to represent the land of their parents despite being born outside of those countries.

Born Here  playing there

All over the world, it is every professional football player’s dream to represent his country. In South Africa, Aaron Mokoena stands head and shoulders above the rest as the only player to earn a century of international caps. The 107 times that Mokoena ran onto the pitch with a Bafana Bafana shirt on his back proves that he is one of the greatest defenders African football has seen.
“Every game that I played for Bafana Bafana meant a lot to me and I gave my best whenever I put on the national team jersey. I am aware that I have a record as the country’s most capped player. That is a great honor for me and I am very excited about it. I used to cope well whenever I was marking top strikers from other countries because I was a dedicated defender. I played under many different coaches in the national team and I respected their position. Carlos Alberto Parreira really inspired me. He used to guide us well so that players could complement each other and win together as a team, ” says Mokoena, who led his country at a World Cup.
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“It is very important for the youngsters to be disciplined and focused when they want to achieve a lot with the national team like I did. They need to take their soccer career seriously, they need to work hard at training and put that extra effort in order to be competitive during the games,” he says.
Mokoena, who grew up as an Orlando Pirates supporter, has come a long way from the dusty streets of Boipatong, south of Johannesburg, when Jomo Sono identified his talent as a youngster. He only played few games for Sono’s club Jomo Cosmos before he went overseas.
Mokoena admired former South African captain Lucas Radebe and the impact he had made at Leeds United in England. It was the inspiration Mokoena used during his playing spells in Holland, Germany, Belgium and England. Playing in the English Premier League was a massive boost for his career as he consistently shone for both Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth. Playing in the FA Cup final against Chelsea in 2010 is one of the highlights of his career.
“I stayed for a short time at Cosmos and it was a good experience for me. I learned certain aspects of the game and the basics while I was at Cosmos. I was prepared to succeed wherever I went.”
Playing abroad would offer him a tougher challenge and Mokoena relished it.
“I had strong character and that is why I managed to handle the situation of living in the different countries abroad. I was very young but I dealt well with the challenges that I faced like the weather and the different languages,” says Mokoena, who was also honored with the Freedom of the City of London.
“I understood my position as a professional player. I understood that I needed to deliver whenever I got the opportunity. No matter who I teamed up with, I had to make sure that I helped the team get good results.
“Playing in England was a big step for me because I was playing in one of the best leagues in the world. The standard in England is very high and it is very competitive and I am happy that I made an impact at Blackburn and Portsmouth.”
When he returned to South African football at club level he was determined to give back at Premier Soccer League (PSL) club Wits.
“Coming back to play in South Africa again was a good feeling for me. I had some offers to go to other countries but I decided to come back home because of the professional structure and the good set-up at Wits.
“It was very encouraging to play alongside the players like Tinashe Nengomasha at Wits because he is a hard worker and he had the winning mentality.”
Captaining South Africa at the World Cup on home soil in 2010 was one of Mokoena’s proudest moments but it also provided his biggest disappointment when Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the second round. He felt the team could have progressed further in the competition considering they were the host nation and they had massive support from home fans.
On the pitch, Mokoena had a reputation as a tenacious and tough tackler. It led to him being nicknamed Mbazo, which translated into English means the Axe. Off the pitch, he is humble and down to earth. He also feels the need to give back to the community. His Aaron Mokoena Foundation contributes to the underprivileged and donates much-needed sport equipment to schools.
“As a person I feel blessed with all that I have achieved. It is very important for me to make a difference to the community through my foundation. When I have a chance to help wherever I can, I do,” he says.
Two historic clubs in South African football, Kaizer Chiefs and Jomo Cosmos, were formed by former players Kaizer Motaung and Jomo Sono. Now it’s Mokoena’s turn to prove himself as a club owner. His passion for football is undeniable and running a team allows him to still be involved. He currently owns The Birds, a team that competes in the third division. He is also in negotiations to take over a second division side, the Vaal Legends.
“I feel there is a lot that I can offer as a club owner. There is a lot of talent in Boipatong and the entire Vaal area so I am determined to add value to the region.
“I am a very ambitious person and I feel very confident that I will succeed as a club owner because of my experience, passion and hard work.
“The development of soccer at the third division and second division level is very important. At The Birds I am the chairman and I am very committed to my duties. When the team is playing, I am around to give the players the necessary motivation. It is very important to have high spirit in the team. I communicate well with the players and I understand what they need. I make them aware of how they have to handle different kinds of situations in football.
“It is still early, however, I feel very optimistic that we will go far and achieve the goals that we set for ourselves.”
Mokoena, who drives top of the range cars, is a good role model for youngsters in the area. He is also always willing to give them advice.
Development at a grass-root level is vital to improve South African football. The South African Football Association (Safa), the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the sports ministry should recognize the efforts former players like Mokoena. They are investing their own money in the game to take the game to a higher level.
The Axe is diving into this challenge with as much gusto as he did when he was facing top strikers around the world.

The Axe Grinds  Out His Goals

The goalkick sends the ball swirling into the air. It rises far into The Birds Football Club’s half. Almost a hundred spectators cheer as it plummets earthwards.
The wind picks up as two players jump for the ball. Instead of a graceful header, there is the ungraceful crunch of heads. The players land in a heap. The ball soars over. The crowd collectively grasp their own heads screaming ‘Eiiiisshhhh’. The Birds’ coach gets up, walks up to the crumpled players, shows them to the bench and then tells the referee to get on with it.
It’s been a tough afternoon for The Birds. Nothing seems to be going their way. The pitch is bumpy. Wind sprays red dirt in their eyes. The wind also pulls at the nets every now and then, forcing the goalkeepers to put it back into place.
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The match didn’t look good before a ball was kicked. The Birds got lost trying to find the ground. It’s not your usual football pitch. The field is squeezed at the back of a shopping plaza, between a taxi rank and a pen that has sheep, goats and a cow eating rubbish.
This is The Scientists Football Club home ground in Sebokeng, 60 kilometers from Johannesburg, and as far from the World Cup as you can get. But it’s football crazy. Hundreds watch teams they don’t even know. For the band of gangly high school hopefuls of The Birds, it’s just another game in the SAB League, the third tier of South African football.
Before the Birds saw their coach on the touchline, they saw him on television. Aaron Mokoena is the former captain of South Africa. Sebokeng is a far cry from the lush green grass of Soccer City where Mokoena led Bafana Bafana in the 2010 World Cup. You could argue he’s light years away from Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth where he was making £10,000 ($17,000) a week in the English Premier League. Now the man known as Mbazo needs his cutting edge to inspire The Birds on a field that’s more dust than grass.
“Guys, we have 45 minutes left. What do we do when we don’t have the ball? Put pressure. What do we do when we have it? Keep it… and have fun,” says Mokoena.
It was on even dustier pitches where Mokoena learnt to kick a ball. He grew up playing in Boipatong, 13 kilometers from Sebokeng, until Jomo Sono, another African footballer who made his fortune overseas, spotted him and convinced him to play for Jomo Cosmos. Mokoena then went to Ajax’s youth academy in Amsterdam after a grueling stint with African youth teams. Now he’s trying to do the same for others.
“I grew up here, and now it’s my chance to pay back the people who spotted me when I was young. I have had a side here for a number of years, but now I have the time to help develop them personally. There is so much talent here and it’s my goal to help local development feed into the provincial system.  If I could make it to where I got, I don’t see why I can’t help these boys get there. Sometimes you just need someone with a name to talk to the right people,” says Mokoena.
The coach also runs two other development academies; one in South Africa, the other in Britain. Until a few months ago, Mokoena couldn’t even imagine being a coach.
“When I would tour with teams I could never see myself in that position. Now I see that my experiences on the pitch are so valuable as a coach. You can’t beat that experience,” he says.
Mokoena has got plenty of it. From the age of 18 he was playing for South Africa. He also holds the record for the most Bafana Bafana appearances at 107, 63 of them as captain.
He might not hold many coaching accolades as yet, but he is set to change that. Mokoena has pinned his hopes on a few hopefuls in an amateur side to get there. One could say it’s a small step for Mokoena but a long flight for The Birds.

Tag: Players

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