Could African Teams in 2010 World Cup Do Any Worse Under African Coaches?
Posted: Thursday, June 24, 2010
by Mogama
http://www.mogama.info
By now the football (soccer) world knows that Africa once again ranks at the bottom per the performance of the six African teams in the 2010 World Cup. This despite the fact that the continent is hosting the global party, the first time ever. Pathetic results in their first-round games are not the only thing the African teams have in common.
Except for Algeria, whose coach Rabah Saadane is from that country, every one of the African teams has a non-African as head coach. Cameroon's coach Paul Le Guen is from France. Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) coach Sven Gran Eriksson comes from Sweden. Ghana hired Milovan Rajevac from Serbia. Nigeria grabbed coach Lars Lagerback, a Swede, "just a few months before the 2010 FIFA World Cup". And coach Alberto Parreira of the South African team is from Brazil.
In contrast to the Africans, the Europeans as well as South Americans feature coaches from their respective continents or countries. Even the Asian teams (Japan, North Korea, and South Korea) have coaches from their own homelands.
I don't know how many Africans are flat out ignoring this glaring admission of ineptitude, but this sends a foul smell across Africa and the world. It fosters the same kind of disrespect for Africa by Africans that seems to thrive even in the 21st century. No, the election of President Barack Obama has yet to reverse this African-on-African discrimination.
Besides the fact that these European coaches may not have spent enough time with their African players before the World Cup, may we not entertain the thought that the patriotic hearts of European coaches may rest in the bosom of their motherland? Perhaps I'm being too cynical. I know the Europeans are being paid to coach, but do we want to think that a European coach would enjoy an African team spanking a European team on the biggest sports stage in the world?
My suspicion was more than confirmed from the way the African players failed to put their best foot forward in the first round of the tournament. They played sub-standard football in their first two games. Then for some unexplained reason the African teams began playing their best games when it was too little too late for most of them, when even winning would knock them out of the games.
Considering that football is Africa's primary sport and that Africa is the second largest continent, the preference for non-African coaches remains a troubling trend, or shall we say temptation?
1. Does the African soccer establishment really believe that blacks make worse coaches than whites? Could it be that inferiority complex is driving Africans' decisions to hire white coaches over African ones? Are we still fostering that primitive "whiter is better" mindset? If the answer is affirmative, then I am afraid that belief may not be confined to the African continent. The whole world is watching it play out once again.
2. If the preference for European coaches is driven by the fact that European soccer is superior to African soccer, then why not bring in South American coaches, the continent of Brazil and Argentina who top FIFA ranking for world soccer? Yes, I know that many South American football stars play in Europe where they are coached by Europeans, but still... Well, forget it: South Africa with its Brazilian coach did not do that great either.
It is late for this World Cup, but let's hope that we will see at least one African head coach leading an African team in the 2014 World Cup. We can't do any worse any way, given the lack of production by African football teams in the 2010 South Africa World Cup. Let's hope that Ghana remains the exception to that painful rule. I for one want to see African coaches lead African players just to see if their teams would do better than the woeful results these highly paid European coaches are producing for the dark continent.
May the dismal showing of top European teams coached by Europeans in the 2010 World Cup dispel the myth of the superiority of European coaches, and speed this much-needed change whose time has come for African football. If anything the European coaches seem to be stifling the talent and skill of the African players, or they may be over-coaching the players to Africa's shame. Why force African players to play European football?
In contrast to the Africans, the Europeans as well as South Americans feature coaches from their respective continents or countries. Even the Asian teams (Japan, North Korea, and South Korea) have coaches from their own homelands.
I don't know how many Africans are flat out ignoring this glaring admission of ineptitude, but this sends a foul smell across Africa and the world. It fosters the same kind of disrespect for Africa by Africans that seems to thrive even in the 21st century. No, the election of President Barack Obama has yet to reverse this African-on-African discrimination.
Besides the fact that these European coaches may not have spent enough time with their African players before the World Cup, may we not entertain the thought that the patriotic hearts of European coaches may rest in the bosom of their motherland? Perhaps I'm being too cynical. I know the Europeans are being paid to coach, but do we want to think that a European coach would enjoy an African team spanking a European team on the biggest sports stage in the world?
My suspicion was more than confirmed from the way the African players failed to put their best foot forward in the first round of the tournament. They played sub-standard football in their first two games. Then for some unexplained reason the African teams began playing their best games when it was too little too late for most of them, when even winning would knock them out of the games.
Considering that football is Africa's primary sport and that Africa is the second largest continent, the preference for non-African coaches remains a troubling trend, or shall we say temptation?
1. Does the African soccer establishment really believe that blacks make worse coaches than whites? Could it be that inferiority complex is driving Africans' decisions to hire white coaches over African ones? Are we still fostering that primitive "whiter is better" mindset? If the answer is affirmative, then I am afraid that belief may not be confined to the African continent. The whole world is watching it play out once again.
2. If the preference for European coaches is driven by the fact that European soccer is superior to African soccer, then why not bring in South American coaches, the continent of Brazil and Argentina who top FIFA ranking for world soccer? Yes, I know that many South American football stars play in Europe where they are coached by Europeans, but still... Well, forget it: South Africa with its Brazilian coach did not do that great either.
It is late for this World Cup, but let's hope that we will see at least one African head coach leading an African team in the 2014 World Cup. We can't do any worse any way, given the lack of production by African football teams in the 2010 South Africa World Cup. Let's hope that Ghana remains the exception to that painful rule. I for one want to see African coaches lead African players just to see if their teams would do better than the woeful results these highly paid European coaches are producing for the dark continent.
May the dismal showing of top European teams coached by Europeans in the 2010 World Cup dispel the myth of the superiority of European coaches, and speed this much-needed change whose time has come for African football. If anything the European coaches seem to be stifling the talent and skill of the African players, or they may be over-coaching the players to Africa's shame. Why force African players to play European football?
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Good stuff!Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks, Raymond, for the comment. ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.
I think the stakes are way too high, and the sport has become so compromised by how much money is made. If only people could go back to playing just for the love of it. Then coaches would be selected appropriately.Please log in to respond to this comment.Thanks much, Jennifer, for sharing your comment. You are quite right about the high stakes. ~mogama~Please log in to respond to this comment.
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