FT Fashion and Football: Wilfred Zaha

Most of the times, the average soccer fan focuses on the day-to-day status of their favorite club’s business. This usually means concentrating on match results, previews, transfer news, and debates on which player is better than the next. That’s where FirstTouch Africa comes in and opens your eyes to some of the things that happen because of football. We are talking about fashion. The crazy hair-cuts and luxurious lifestyles of your star players are what we are going to shed some light on in this season-end.

The Crystal Palace star, Wilfred Zaha is first up on our list of the most fashionable players of African descent. He is popular in his squad for his heroic efforts in almost single-handedly rescuing his team from the drop in the English Premier League 2017/18 season. The club is guaranteed one more season in the top flight competition. But what has the club managed to do for the player? He can now afford a fancy lifestyle in England when he is not representing the Ivory Coast, the national team. The player is one of the few people who used to get a haircut EVERY day before he started growing his dreadlocked Mohawk. Yes, that’s right. He had the patience to sit down for a fresh cut which he says, “A haircut will take me from a 5 to a 10.” Nowadays he probably has someone to work on his fade while still maintaining his dreadlocks. Apart from that, the Ivorian winger has a pretty dope car collection. He owns a Lamborghini Aventador, Gallardo, Mercedes G63 AMG, Porsche Cayenne among others. He has also created a clothing line called Long Live. What more do you need when you are on a £110,000-a-week contract?

Culture: South Africa has a philosopher in witty football coach, Steve Komphela

Popularly known as ‘Bra Steve,’ the South African football coach is a social media and television favorite. Steve Komphela is widely appreciated and respected in South Africa and across the borders for his almost always hilarious-post match commentaries and interviews. He intelligently reviews his teams’ performances and delivers the analysis in metaphors and riddles. Supersport presenters, Carol and Robert Marawa have always joked about how one needs to bring a thesaurus whenever they interview the philosophical coach. What I find particularly striking about Bra Steve is that he seems not be intentional about being amusing, he delivers his messages with a stern face and leaves some rolling on the floor laughing and most, reflecting on the deep lessons coded in the highly consumable speeches.

Here are some of Komphela’s famous quotes:

“We didn’t play well, but we won, we now have to wait for the next team. We go on; we hope to improve from here. Statistics are like a bikini, they don’t reveal everything.”

“If you go to the graveyard and haunt the sleeping, the spirits shall come to haunt you. And this is what transpired. They needed to come up, and it was at our expense.”

“The PSL has rough seas and there are plenty of sharks – teams with strong financial muscle. We have already gone through two dangerous sharks. And on Saturday we face the Great White Shark. It will be very difficult, one has to acknowledge their strength but we confidently move to Saturday hoping that by the end of the match we will be smiling.”

— Komphela ahead of his side’s Nedbank Cup semi-final against Mamelodi Sundowns

Steve Komphela has enjoyed quite a relatively successful career as a player and mostly as a manager. He has coached a plethora of South African clubs including Maritzburg United, Free State Stars, Platinum Stars, South Africa U-23 and South African national team as a caretaker coach. Komphela who is also a teacher by profession has recently left the Kaizer Chiefs coaching job after as a result of ever-mounting pressure from the fans.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Bids: Will Morocco’s homosexuality ban stop their World Cup progress?

Even though after getting South Africa’s unqualified backing as well as support from a host of countries in their 207 member states, the North African country’s bid to host the 2026 world cup might be in jeopardy. Unlike the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, bidders for the 2026 world cup were required to frank risk assessments as well as commission independent human rights reports. A FIFA task force has been recently deployed into Morocco to inspect the extent of the law that states that homosexuality is a criminal offense in the country guaranteeing six months to three years in Prison.

“Under the new nondiscrimination requirements under FIFA’s statutes and under the Human Rights Policy, one of the red lines is anti-gay activity laws or policies. Morocco, if they’re serious about winning, would need to be prepared to repeal the article of the penal code which punishes people for being gay.”

— Human Rights Watch director of global initiatives, Minky Worden

Unlike USA-Canada-Mexico, According to ESPN, Morocco had refused to acknowledge the anti-LGBTQ law as a risk and provide a remedy in their 483 paged document.

“Morocco’s human rights report presented to the FIFA is an intentional silence on an issue that Morocco knows too well is a crime on its soil.”

— El Haij, President of Moroccan Association for Human Rights

In August 2017, Morocco rejected recommendations from the United Nations to decriminalize same-sex relations and shun violence against the LGBTQ community.

“Article 1 of the Constitution highlights the special framework of the federative constants of the Moroccan nation, namely, the moderate Muslim religion, national unity with its multiple components, constitutional monarchy and the democratic choice. Thus, the Kingdom does not accept these recommendations since they are in contradiction with the above-mentioned federative constants.”

— Morocco’s Response to UN

One of the members of the Moroccan bid team, a human rights board member maintained that Morocco could have values different from FIFA or some societies would be vigilant in welcoming visitors intolerance and kindness.  

“I don’t think that [ban on homosexuality] will be an issue because organising a World Cup is mainly about infrastructure, being passionate about football, and the ability to organize a safe World Cup. We have our laws and we have our values and maybe FIFA also have their values. We may have some differences but we just need to have the ability to respect the differences and to be tolerant.”

— Jamal Elamrani, Moroccan Bid’s Human Rights Board Member

What effect do you think this report has on Morocco’s chances to land this bid?

Algeria: Feghouli and M’bohli may return to international football

The Algerian assistant coach, Meziane Ighil, has revealed that the experienced duo of Sofiane Feghouli and Rais M’bohli have the opportunity to return to the national team squad even though they have been sidelined during Rabah Madjer’s era as the head coach.

The pair had previously been an integral part of the Desert Foxes charges until the arrival of Madjer during the 2018 World Cup qualifying rounds when Algeria drew 1-1 with Nigeria. They were not even included in the squad for the recent friendlies, where the beat Tanzania 4-1 and lost to world cup bound Iran, by two goals to one. The 31-year-old goalkeeper, M’bohli joined Saudi Arabia side, Al-Ettifaq in January and has enjoyed a strong start to life in Saudi, winning five, drawing three and losing only once in his last nine matches for the club.

Feghouli who now plies his trade at Galatasaray had been at EPL side, West Ham United where he failed to make a mark, more so because he fell out of favor with the then manager, Slaven Bilic. The 28-year-old is slowly picking up form in Turkey having scored six goals and contributed seven assists in 28 appearances for the Lions.

“M’Bolhi is making his comeback at a very high level. Feghouli too is with Galatasaray. The doors of the national side are open to any players who are capable of adding something to the national team.”

— Meziane Ighil, Algeria’s National Team Assistant Coach

Colombia: Footballs are worth more than rifles; a case of the reintegration of ex-rebels.

After over 50 years of civil conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC in Spanish) and the Colombian government, a peace agreement was signed in November 2016. Wounds inflicted over decades, marked by bloody massacres, kidnappings, extortions and intense fighting are now being slowly healed by the power of sport through football. A lot of young people recruited into the FARC at ages of 17-20 who had their dreams of playing professional football dashed at the time are believing again. In fact, even during the period of the huge turmoil, they would still sacrifice to play football.

““We would carry 70 kilos [154 pounds] on our backs and walk up to 30 km [19 miles] a day upon the mountains. The first thing we would do before camping would be to clear a field with our machetes so we could play soccer. Sports have always been part of our guerrilla way of life.””

— An interviewee who has always been a soccer aspirant

After the peace agreement, close to 7, 000 former rebels are now organized into 26 transitional settlements who are run by the former commanders. Both men and women’s football teams have been neatly set up. From time to time, they play friendly matches with other villages, both civilian and other former rebels’ villages. As the ex-rebels await approval from Dimayor (Colombia's professional soccer authority) to include two B division teams, one for men and the other for women to make their footballing dreams a reality; they remain self-sustained.

The former rebels sell rifles to cover tournament travel costs and buy soccer equipment. At times they still travel for kilometers in metal boats for matches in distant villages, players, and supporters alike. The feared former FARC commander sees sports as well to reintegrate into civilian life and win hearts again as talks of forming a democratic political party continue.

““We’ve started to see an increase in local communities participating in sports events. Soccer is a way for us to win hearts and minds. For example, women’s soccer teams’ participation has increased. The fact they see our [FARC] women play has empowered women in these remote communities to organize and play.” ”

— The Former FARC Commander

The transitional residences are a hive of activity ranging from late night briefings on the peace process, internal issues, world global news; tutoring and jobs to maintain the living conditions. The close to 7, 000 demobilized rebels receive monthly food rations and 700, 000 Colombian pesos(around USD $250) payment each, from the government to purchase essentials.

During the time of the visit by ESPN journalists, one ex-rebels team were in an ecstatic mood after beating 94th Infantry Battalion of the Colombian Armed Forces, 11 - 5. They once met on the battlefield but now go toe to toe on the soccer pitch. The former rebels continue to wait for more support from the government and integration into civilian life is not slowing down for the beloved sons and daughters of Colombia.

FIFA drops racism investigation on Batshuayi’s claims

The cases of racism continue. This time, UEFA has decided to drop their investigation into the claims of racial abuse directed towards Michy Batshuayi in a match between Dortmund and Atalanta in the Europa League last month. UEFA have done so without giving any reason why they were dropping the case which brings suspicion to the way they handle issues of racism. Many players have been racially abused in the past and these include Mario Balotelli, Samuel Eto’o, Muntari, Roberto Carlos, and Everton Luiz among others. UEFA are clearly not doing enough to end racism because many players are being affected by it and the abusers know that little action will be taken against them. In this instance, Batshuayi’s case has been dropped for no reason and the player has responded to that decision by posting, “LOL. It was probably in my imagination,” on his Twitter account. The Belgian striker on-loan at Dortmund from Chelsea laughs it off because of disappointment. This is the second time in less than a month that UEFA have decided to close the investigation on claims of racial discrimination after a black player publicly drew attention. Hefty fines and bans are placed on the players that take matters into their own hands when racially abused and leave the pitch like Kevin Prince-Boateng did. What is UEFA waiting to be done so that they could take serious measures against these inhumane characters who discriminate against other human beings of different race, religion, gender, sex etc?

Abroad: Cameroon’s Gaetan Bong claims involved in a racial abuse case

Gaetan bong claimed that West Brom’s Jay Rodriguez racially abused him when his Brighton & Hove Albion visited the Baggies at the Hawthorns on 13 January, 2018. The English striker seemed to have pinched his nose when the two clashed and afterwards Bong approached the referee. Rodriguez still remains defiant on his stance on the allegation and had until today to respond to the Football Association, which would make a decision to hand him a five-match suspension, if he is to be found guilty. Jay has already hired top lawyers to represent his case and we are monitoring the development of the case.

UEFA Takes No Action Against Racism Claim

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the administrative body for association football in the European continent. They highlight the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination in football stadiums in all competitions. Liverpool’s young striker Rhian Brewster believes that racists will take encouragement after UEFA failed to take any action against his claims of racial abuse. The England U17 player claims that he was racially abused in the match against Spartak Moscow, a Russian team that has been involved in several alleged racist incidents in recent years. UEFA could not take any action because they could not find conclusive evidence after investigating the allegations. This is an important issue that needs to be addressed because racism is a toxic disease that should be dealt away with. All people of any race are equal and they sacrifice a lot to make the game of football better. Respect should be given to all.

CAF: Liberia’s First Lady, Clar Weah, Named CAF Ambassador for Women Football

"It is a task that I am ready to do because I know the importance of football right from what it did for my husband and now my family." - Clar Weah

It has been quite the week for the Weahs. George Weah’s son, Timothy recently made his debut for PSG in their 2-0 win against Troyes. This was 23 years after his father made his debut for the same club. Now, Clar Weah, the mother of the Liberian first family has been ordained with the task of promoting women’s football at the first CAF symposium for women football in Marrakech, Morocco.

AFCON : Morocco Backs Cameroon to Successfully Host the 2019 Tournament

There were doubts as to whether the West African nation would be able to host next year’s AFCON, the first to feature 24 teams, after the CAF President had remarked that they had “work to do.” And now, Cameroon will be happy to learn that Morocco, who are looking forward to land the bid to host 2026 world cup, are fully behind them. This is what the president of the Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) had to say about the matter at CAF’s first ever symposium for women football:

"We wanted to put an end to rumours making rounds in the media for a while. The FMRF is at the disposal of the Cameroonian federation to make the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon an African football festival.” - Faouzi Lekjaa
Read more about 2019 here.

African Football 101: FirstTouch’s 8 points

Introduction

Nwako Kanu, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Yaya Toure, George Weah, Samuel Kuffor and now Mohamed Salah – these are some of the big name African footballers who have illuminated Europe’s top domestic leagues. But with so many dazzling stars over the years, what does football on the African continent really look like? Do they have leagues, transfer windows? Are there any more Sadio Mane’s that some clubs could benefit from? How do Africans and the world see their football? Well, the list of questions goes on but here is one perspective from an African.

A.It all begins with a rubbish ball

Old newspapers, plastics, string, foam rubber and a touch of fire are all the right ingredients that make a soccer ball. In the streets of Harare, kids barely five years old scan through rubbish dumps to collect materials to make their own soccer balls either because their parents cannot afford a real one or that it would smash windows when they play in the streets. That’s where stars are first made, in the tiny tarred roads separating homesteads, battling it out barefooted. Fast forward a few more years and then the kids are old enough to play in dust community football pitches or at school where they soon become town celebrities. This is largely the narrative, not only in Harare but most parts of Africa. They are not a lot of fancy football academies there.

B. Club football

Probably 1 in maybe 1000 talented footballers actually end up playing for the local clubs. Most of them are lost in the system of “get good grades to get a job,” a popular slogan of risk averse parents. But who would blame them, as most of the domestic football leagues are poorly funded and dominated not by young talent but more mature “talent” looking to fend for their families.

For those few who actually make it, there is a bit of silver lining in some leagues. For example, the South African Premier League (PSL) which is fast becoming a powerhouse. It ships players mainly from Zimbabwe, Nigeria and many other African countries because in reality, other countries seem to host better talent than them. They do have a footballing calendar closely aligned to that in Europe and transfer windows where millions of rands are spent. But for a long time, club football on the continent has been dominated by North African clubs such as Al Ahly and Zamalek.

It is in some of these football leagues, where the Mo Salahs or George Weahs are first spotted and find themselves living the dream in Europe. There is another route where affluent parents send their children to academies abroad or that the families relocate and the kids found themselves growing up in foreign countries and pursuing the dream. This is the case of Alex Iwobi, the Nigerian and Arsenal youngster who grew up in England, Delle Alli (a Nigerian adopted by English parents), Mario Balotelli and many more.

C. Internationals

Like anywhere else in the world, when nations clash, its mostly about the bragging rights. Over the years, Africa has been dominated by West Africans such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Mali and Ivory Coast. They are known for their huge physicality while North Africans who consistently rank hire boast of some scintillating passing football, probably because they are close to countries like France and Spain. But all this is slowly changing, physical or scintillating football is coming from anywhere, it all depends on who is coaching the team especially now when most African teams employ coaches from outside the continent.

In terms of performances on global tournaments like the World Cup, because of the talent both at home and abroad, Africans should be doing more. But usually, inconsistent showings are earmarked by stories of low or non-payment of allowances and lack of insurance for players.

The nicknames of most national teams are as fierce as they come, Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Super Eagles of Nigeria, Lions of Terranga (Senegal), Warriors of Zimbabwe, Lions of the Atlas (Morrocco), Desert foxes (Algeria), Copper Bullets of Zambia, the list is endless. What a powerhouse of names!