Why Should Africa Participate in the 2018 World Cup?

1. It is six years to the next world cup and yes, I know its early but the question needs to be asked:
 
2. Why should Africa participate in Russia's world cup?
 
3.  As is unfolding in the lead up to the European championships, it is clear there is a serious problem of racism in football in Eastern Europe, of which Russia is an integral part.
 
4.  The Russian league season has been blighted by incidents of racism. What began with the throwing of bananas at Roberto Carlos has since spread to the Ivorien born Dacosta Goore, Nigeria's Emmanuel Emenike and Peter Odenwigie, and Congo's Chris Samba. In response the Russian football authorities have set of a Task Force on Racism in Football, on paper a bold move... But it is the action of the Russian FA on reported incidents of racism that speaks louder!
 
5.  Emmanuel Emenike of Spartak Moscow was recently fined US$17,000 for an offensive gesture towards Dynamo Moscow fans who racially abused him. Here is a report on this from BBC Sports:
 
6.  "We decided it was an adequate punishment," said Vladimir Vasilyev, a Russian FA's ethics committee official.
 
7.  However Spartak coach Valery Karpin said the FA had failed to address the racist abuse.  "I have to agree that Emenike did something that he should not have done," the former Russia international told reporters.  "But at the same time I couldn't follow logic in the FA's decision as they didn't take any action against the Dynamo fans who had racially abused Emenike," he said. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17572890
 
8.  This is the environment to which Issa Hayatou and CAF are willy nilly sending African footballers and fans to.
 
9.  It is easy to see in this so called Task Force, parallels to the events leading up to the 1936 Olympics Games. I imagine that as the world cup nears, local spectators and residents will be 're-educated' and primed to be at their best behavior for all of the 2-3 weeks that the foreigners are around and ready to return to the status quo once they have departed.
 
10.  This is the country whose bid Issa Hayatou is said to have supported in the 2nd round of voting for hosting the world cup.
 
11.  If such reports are true, the question needs to be asked, what was Hayatou thinking in voting for Russia? What guarantees did he seek and what was promised?
 
12.  If Issa Hayatou and CAF cannot sufficiently look out for the interests or speak out for African footballers repeatedly abused for the color of their skin, on what basis should he then be seeking yet another term?
 
13. Why should Africa participate in Russia's world cup?
 
14.  And for how long must Africa put up with the incompetence of Issa Hayatou?
 
15.  PS: The decision by UEFA on the concerns about racism at Euro 2012 reflect my concerns about this issue and especially why CAF must seek guarantees to protect African players and fans.
 
16.  UEFA has decided that incidents of racism are best left to the referees to address and that any player walking off the field, like Balotelli has threatened to do will recieve a caution via a yellow card.
 
17. Thats all well and good. But in the heat of the moment, reality is somethings are more important than football- self dignity.
 
18. Let there be no misunderstanding. What UEFA's primary goal here is, is to protect the game; their game, AND then the player, in that order. 
 
19. The anguish on the faces of Marc Zoro and Eto Fils reacting after finally having had enough is very instructive Link. The reaction of both players is evidence that somethings transcend football. 
 
20. The referees do indeed have a responsibility. But they must get on top of the situation immediately. If not, the rules will not be enough... 
 
21. As it turns out, some of the worst fears about Russian fans is proving to be true as UEFA is investigating possible racist abuse of Czech defender Theodor Gebre Selassie, who is of Ethiopian descent.
 
22. This clearly brings to sharp relief, the need for CAF and Hayatou to seek guarantees on behalf of African players and fans, as well as develop a mechanism for monitoring the work of the Russian Task Force on racism in football.  

Keshi: Troubadour or Strategist...

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi is a mere few months on the job, and so far has played only one competitive game. This in all fairness does not provide enough data on which to assess his performance as coach, especially on field.

However he has adopted a bold strategy of rebuilding the team primarily from the domestic game and supplementing with the foreign based players. As I discussed here it is a viable long term strategy that has the potential to enhance competition and ultimately the quality of the national team. But the devil is firmly in the details...

While it is true that these are early days, the overall strategy of Mr Keshi raises some concerns about the viability of an approach that appears haphazard.

Watching his team lose gallantly to an experienced Egyptian team again confirmed my belief in the availability of talent in the domestic game. It is expected that roughly the same team will be used to prosecute the friendly against Peru in Lima on May 23.

While there are a few players worthy of further looks, you have to wonder about the wisdom of persisting on a much larger number whose immediate viability for the Super Eagles is at best doubtful, especially in comparison with several emerging foreign based players. Where for instance is the merit in spending time and resources on such raw talents as Sunday Mbah, Kalu Uche, Obinna Nwachukwu or Salami, given the vastly superior options we have in attack from the foreign based legion?

According to Austin Okocha, while 'players from the domestic league are the future of the Super Eagles, they are at least three years away from being ready' Link.

It seems to me that what should be a target specific approach to address areas of weakness in the Super Eagles is being converted into an endless rebuilding exercise, with the national team coach as a troubadour, traversing the land in search of all manner of players like the severely average fullbacks, Oshaniwa and Oboabona.

And even among the foreign legion, there is as yet no clear sense of a strategic plan behind the invitation of players. Where does a reborn John Utaka fit in the strategic order according to Stephen Keshi? Yes a revived John Utaka merits a recall, but as what? Where does he fit in an overall plan, both now and in the future?

Why is this question important? Take the case of Yakubu Aiyegbeni:

On the back of several goals in the English Premier League, he was recalled in what is the twilight of a nomadic career to lead the line against Rwanda, in preference to such younger players as Emenike, Ideye and Ehiosun who were already being integrated into the team by former coach Siasia. Now he is relegated to the Championship!  He is then dropped for the next round of games and an opportunity to build on existing foundations is wasted.

So what happens next? What happens to Ideye, Emenike and Ehiosun? Who is the next ghost to be resurrected?

As I said at the beginning of Keshi's tenure (Link) he inherited a team in much better stage of development than his predecessor was bequeathed;  a younger, more mobile and faster team, which created more chances per game than previously, but which was also tactically imbalanced.

What was needed was a well thought out strategy to build on these foundations, while learning from the failures of Siasia, not a strategy that amounts to chasing rats in an empty cassava farm during the annual bush burning!

When are we going to reintegrate Apam into the team following his return to first team football? When are we going to invite Terna Suswan who has broken into the first team at Setubal? When are we going to look at Omeruo as an option at right back following his impressive displays for ADO; after Oboabona implodes in a competitive game?

Like me, Okocha agrees that the future is at home: "Definitely the future lies in those new players, but for the moment they cannot be as consistent as where we want to be." He goes on to state that it would take 3-4 years to get them ready, except in the case of exceptional talent.

What in effect Stephen Keshi is doing is confusing a long term and a short term strategy.

"A troubadour, I traverse all my land
exploring all her wide flung parts with zest..." (Dennis Brutus)