He leans forward animatedly: “The question we have all the time is whether an African team is able to win the World Cup. But the real question is whether the world is ready for an African team to become champions?”Does he believe some officials might still subconsciously favour the more traditional European and South American powerhouses over the six African teams? “I’m still a player,” Eto’o smiles. “I can’t say that sort of thing. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 20 years and in Europe so many leading players are African. If we prepare properly, then one of the African teams can do something special.”
He leans forward animatedly: “The question we have all the time is whether an African team is able to win the World Cup. But the real question is whether the world is ready for an African team to become champions?
Does he believe some officials might still subconsciously favour the more traditional European and South American powerhouses over the six African teams? “I’m still a player,” Eto’o smiles. “I can’t say that sort of thing. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last 20 years and in Europe so many leading players are African. If we prepare properly, then one of the African teams can do something special.”
– Donald McRae’s interview with Samuel Eto’o (via The Guardian)
Interesting comments by Eto’o. Eto’o’s struggles with racism in European football have been chronicled. Unfortunately, the only reason his struggles have been chronicled is because he is a bone fide global superstar. But there were many before Eto’o and there will be many after him. In many ways, his long standing narrative, at least regarding race, has shifted over to Mario Balotelli and his struggles in Italian football. In light of the very public episodes involving these two players, the question Eto’o asks is an important one: Is the world ready for an African team to become champions?
An African team winning the World Cup would result in celebrations across much of the African continent that would last for weeks. But beyond celebration, discussions would likely shift from narratives of poor discipline and poor facilities to questions about whether this will be the century of the emergence of African football as a global power.
However, it is important to note that success could also pose a danger to African football. There’s a danger of mistaking a moment of success with arrival. Assuming that one triumph alleviates centuries of systemic problems is a recipe for continued poor development and misplaced priorities. In South Africa, for example, victory won’t shift income disparity overnight. It will not educate people, nor will it create jobs in a country where one out of four people are unemployed. So what Eto’o’s question really speaks to is how African success would change Africa’s narrative, and whether the world is really ready to embrace evolution.
Sadly, the world doesn’t do change well. We’ve grown well accustomed to lazy and predictable narratives about Africa. One victory will not change everything. But it might create a forum to discuss what could be possible in Africa. It could provide a metaphorical measure suggesting that Africa can lead and that Africa can succeed. But does the world want new, successful leaders? The same question can be asked about politics. Emerging economies are often viewed as cute, little pet projects; that is, until they become actual competition for leadership positions. Then, as we see with India and China, the narrative shifts.
Is the world ready to deal with a successful Africa, one that begins to assume greater control over its resources — resources upon which the West has grown increasingly dependent? Is the world ready for more and more of its football stars to be African? Is it ready for more Eto’os who have the pedigree, champions medals and gall to confront journalists regularly about the realities of race in Europe? As it stands, the media has a hard time dealing with just one Eto’o. Imagine if they had to deal with twenty or forty Eto’os willing to take on controversial topics that typically cause discomfort and anger.
A successful Africa, in football and beyond, will present a fundamental challenge to the status quo. History tells us that world powers have a hard time dealing with perceived power shifts. In this light, Samuel Eto’o’s question is surely a fascinating one. Sooner or later we’ll have to deal with this issue, but if the past is anything to go by, this will only become a worthwhile topic when it happens, even though Eto’o clearly thinks it is a topic worth talking about now. But then again, for years, Eto’o has felt that racism in European football is a topic worth talking about, and he’s had to drag the rest of the world, kicking and screaming, to the discussion.
