How the world exploits Africa's sporting talent
In this episode of the The Flip Side, we look into how African-born sports stars light up the world stage, but often for foreign clubs and federations. Poor investment at a local level keep sports means Africa is losing out on a billion dollar industry.
Transcript
00:00 What do rugby star Cheslin Colby, runner Rose Chalimo, and footballer Victor Boniface have in common?
00:08 They ply their trade overseas. Kenyan-born Chalimo even represents Bahrain.
00:14 But isn't it great to see African sports stars lighting up the world stage?
00:18 Well, not exactly. Welcome to the flip side.
00:22 While we love watching Africans competing with the world's best,
00:26 we so often associate great players with their clubs rather than their national setups.
00:31 We Nigerians, we are far behind when it comes to local league.
00:35 So it is nothing compared to the European League.
00:40 I myself, I can't remember the last time I watched a game or maybe a shooting stars game.
00:47 But why go overseas far from home?
00:49 Speaking from the Kenyan perspective, I would say that poverty is one of the motivations that really pushes players to move abroad for better opportunities.
01:00 This includes either being not paid or being underpaid,
01:05 or sometimes they don't have the requirements that they need when they're going out for training or going out for an away game.
01:14 A livable salary to the millionaire status of Sadio Mane and co. is a push factor.
01:20 So it's an individual choice then. And what's wrong with that?
01:23 We've had countries like, you know, Bahrain, Qatar, the Netherlands, France, Canada, US benefit from Kenyans who have, you know, changed their nationalities to these countries.
01:37 This seems like a sporting brain drain and it doesn't just apply to athletics.
01:42 Sport is a growing $512 billion global business and African nations are losing out.
01:49 A few superstars may benefit, but thousands of talented athletes are left behind due to mismanagement or poor investment in sports.
01:57 The stakeholders in the sports industry in Kenya have to go back to the drawing board and ask themselves what they can do better to continue keeping the talent that we have back home.
02:09 And there's this, especially when athletes must choose club versus country.
02:14 Our national team doesn't have what we call, you know, patriotism and they are not that passionate about representing their country.
02:23 So, you know, when they come, they do not bring down their A-level what they do at their club.
02:30 African nations are brimming with raw sporting talent and it's hard to blame individuals for seeking the best pay and competition.
02:37 So it's up to our leaders to make Africa a sporting destination rather than just another resource.
02:43 And that's the flip side.
02:45 (upbeat music)