Africa is not good at football

[hestonap]

Spain will bring their A game, pass you to death, Morocco should take the game to them, Spain defence is not that great to be honest but they never allow you to know when you cannot get the ball to begin with, Morocco so far has been Africa strongest side, these North African sides always seem to be disciplined and organized, Tunisia beat France, so that proves a point, we need massive investment in sports in general, not just football, do we have the money? that is another question? football is big business, all Africa best players are playing for European countries, that is a fact, where do we go from here? i can understand when Saka had to choose between Nigeria and England, there were so many parameters involved and Nigeria did not tick any boxes, i was privy to this information before he was called up to the England squad, the Cameroon born player playing for Switzerland made some claims about the corrupt Cameroon FA! their careers are really short, if Saka picked Nigeria, he will be sitting at home now, these are the risks one takes, Nigeria has talent but then again the country is disorganized as a whole and people expect our football to be any different??

Removing corruption alone will take us to the quarter finals of the WC . Investing in sports infrastructure on top of removing corruption will make us contenders. Let’s start with the corruption.

Step 1
Stop the process of State FA electing the NFF chair,Football is not a democracy. Select a competent board to manage football, private sector financing only.

Step 2
Create a pro league that has no state govt involvement. Do it even if means some teams will be lost.

Step 3

End the practice of academy to Europe. Any player that wants to transfer must be registered to a pro team and play at least 2 years. Minimum age to transfer should be 20.

Emir, good points in principle, but I have a fundamental disagreement about restricting the right of individuals to move. It is inherently unjust for any system to place restrictions on a God given right to choose one’s freedom to move or associate. This ain’t communist Cuba or such jurisdictions.

You don’t want folks to move ? create an environment conducive for them to stay. A significant number of us posting here are in the diaspora. We have varying reasons for finding ourselves outside the motherland.

Neither the Nigerian state nor the Nigerian people have a right to impose expectations on people it actively refuses to invest in. A people it actually deliberately chooses to put in harms way.

There is a reason I strongly remain of the opinion that we are not ‘good’ at football. It’s simply because it’s a reflection of everything else we do. We are not good at governance, long term planning etc and we compete against folks who are better at these things.

It does not mean we can’t assemble teams etc, it means we are significantly unlikely to achieve our potential in areas we have much to our advantage but we have not as a people imbibed a culture of doing the simple things properly on a consistent basis. It is accordingly foolhardy to expect excellence out of such a system or to be better than those who elect to do things properly.

Before anyone mentions Morocco, I’m sure many here will objectively agree that they are better organized society than us Nigerians and many a sub-saharan African country.

In life you want to make your good output to be the norm rather than just hoping to be the exception without doing the needful that gives you the chance of becoming exceptional.

The day as a people to a person we devote ourselves to the principles of wanting to become excellent and do it on a consistent basis no matter the temptation of setting for the easy route, that’s the age the world will marvel rather the perpetual disgust and pity that is reserved for us.

‘Oyinbo’ may not admit it or throw meaningless tropes around, but they certainly respect the Chinese now.

Others have shown what is possible, the rest is up to us.

As Ohsee rightly pointed out in another thread, football is a multibillion dollar business. When you look at it from that point of view and rather than just a sport, the answer stares you very coldly in your face.

So you've lived in Morocco to make a bold statement with no facts about the standard of living /organization compared to 46 Sub-Sahara Countries.. wow , didn't know you've spent an amount of time in 46 African countries. Wow you must be a well season nomad .. What other insights can you share with us ?

My goodness, some people really crack me up on this forum ... carry on

let me just add this here for you

a fifth of the Moroccans lives near the poverty line, translating into 6.3 million people being denied access to basic needs. This reality results from this country's firm social, political, and economic foundations.Apr 8, 2022

https://fanack.com/human-rights-en/a-fa ... co~230114/

Two-thirds of Morocco’s poor are concentrated in distant rural areas. They encounter several major challenges, as vast regions in these rural areas aren’t sufficiently supplied with water and electricity due to substandard infrastructure.

Besides the long distances that must be crossed to reach the designated joint wells, rural areas’ residents suffer from many problems derived from said primitive water wells. Also, agricultural production is entirely dependent on water availability.

Adding to their suffering is the inadequate transportation network, which hinders many Moroccan children from reaching their schools. Not to mention the migration of the young people who occasionally don’t find an exit from this affliction except by pursuing better luck elsewhere, in a big city.

Since you opted to go there with me, I will do a public service, hopefully allowing some knowledge to percolate but one is doubtful that will happen because osmosis does not necessary apply to solid barriers when it comes to learning.

When you want to compare things, you use objective indicies rather than trolling out opinion pieces.

By every measurable HDI, Nigeria is a less desirable society to live in than Morocco. We have a bigger economy but out poverty indicies are less desirable.

If you come to a public square to opine, come spilling facts and not childish or immature pronouncements. If you choose not to, declare ahead that you are acting on a. clownish level. Hopefully your deliberately infantile brain is capable of some understanding the principle of constructing a rational argument rather than the unintelligent gripe of ‘where you there or did you live there’ that the current neophytes like you default to. I no blame you, it’s what happens when you are taught by people who don’t know what they are talking about. Scratch that, they taught you, but you refused to learn.

UNDP data. When you have better sources, come back and not random fan boy opinion pieces.

1. aggregate HDI 1990-2021
Nigeria 0.55. Maroc 0.7
Low <0.5 high 0.7 or greater

Human development index classification.
Nigeria - low. Morocco (0.683) - medium (0.535)

- The HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.

Morocco ranked 123 while Nigeria ranked 163 out of 191 countries

Read and weep clown. Between 2003 and 2021 Nigeria’s HDI value changed from 0.45 ro 0.535 an 18.9% percent increase. Know what Maroc did in the same time period, 0.447 to 0.683, a whooping 52.8% increase.

For available figures, life expectancy - between 1990 and 2021, in Maroc increased by 11.6 years. Nigeria’s 4.2 years albeit between 2003 and 2021.

2. Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI) over same period
Maroc 0.5 vs Nigeria 0.3

What is the purpose of the Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI)? The HDI represents a national average of human development achievements in the three basic dimensions making up the HDI: health, education and income. Like all averages, it conceals disparities in human development across the population within the same country. Two countries with
different distributions of achievements can still have the same average HDI value.

The IHDI takes into account not only the average achievements of a country in health, education, and income, but also how those achievements are distributed among its population by “discounting” each dimension’s average value according to its level of inequality.

3. Multidimensional Poverty Index
Maroc 0.27 vs Nigeria 0.254

What is the Multidimensional Poverty Measure? An index that captures the percentage of households in a country deprived along three dimensions of well-being – monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services – to provide a more complete picture of poverty.

4. Inequality-adjusted HDI

Morocco sits at position 103 as against Nigeria at 138 as per 2022 report. Clown Nigeria is at par with DR Congo and barely outperforms Sudan and Benin.

5. Life expectancy for both sexes Nigeria 55.75. Morocco 77.47. I will leave you if you’re able to organize your organize your limited neurones into synaptic gears, to go find out countries we are ‘competing’ with in this regard.

Statistics is not everything, but certainly gives an objective measure of how things stand.

I do not need to go sit in the sun to know it is a bad idea compared to staying on planet earth. Using your silly analogy of ‘have you lived there’.

Understand that a person with a million dollars who pilfers it away gambling, drinking and looking after 100 indigent persons, is not richer than a person with half that amount of money, who cultivates his funds properly and does not have 100 indigent persons to look after.

Yep we outdo them in GDP but we fall short where Is matters ala GNI.

To break it down to you in cretin language and description you’ll understand, Nigeria is like the millionaire with 10 wives and 40 children attending rubbish schools but somehow has 1 one of those children graduating from Havard. While Morocco if like the middle manager with 1 wife 3 kids and is able to provide or them in comparative terms - sends them to decent schools, lives in a small surbabian house. No he does not have a million dollars, but he sleeps better, has comparatively less pressure on his life - essentially has a better quality of life.

Chew on the above. I have patients to see. Some of whom are like you, have skulls acting as receptacles for unused grey-white matter. Unlike you however, many have no choice in the matter. You actively choose to be a troll. So while I have compassion for my patients, for clownish trolls, you deserve disdain.

I might consider carrying on with this discourse if you show an inclination to learn.

Here is one thing I agree with you though, I am not going to be successful because this is like teaching an anencephalic new skills, they simply lack the capacity to learn. But hope springs eternal.

Learn to use our brain, unlike many of the crazy changes going on about us in the current age, use your brain and allow it to work before engaging your mouth. THINK - IT IS NOT YET ILLEGAL OR A CRIME TO DO SO!

Just curious, exactly how much time have you spent in the rural areas of Morocco and Nigeria


Cheers.

TTT,

I spent medical posting in rural parts of Nigeria. I have also spent limited periods albeit on holidays in rural parts of Nigeria. No I have never been to rural Morocco.

[Bigpokey24]

[kalani JR]

First World Cup all African teams won at least a single game.

[GREENWHITEGREEN]

Methinks Croatia knows how to beat Argentina

[GREENWHITEGREEN]

Kai!! I for no talk o.

[sayala]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

[Bigpokey24]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

o boy shut up

[King Futcha]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

40 percent of Tunisia's squad were born in Europe, are they too a European team? or that only matters when you win? when you lose and are born outside of said country you are African?

[Kabalega]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

Interesting….

How is African football played?

[sayala]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

40 percent of Tunisia's squad were born in Europe, are they too a European team? or that only matters when you win? when you lose and are born outside of said country you are African?

Italy are also a European team and didn't even qualify. Not every European team wins.

[scholl]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

40 percent of Tunisia's squad were born in Europe, are they too a European team? or that only matters when you win? when you lose and are born outside of said country you are African?

Italy are also a European team and didn't even qualify. Not every European team wins.

Correct. People would rather console themselves by digging for failure cases. However, the records clearly show that the successful teams have been European or S.American teams.

[Kabalega]

Until fairly recently, the WC had only been dominated by about 5 countries. Two S. American and 3 European.
The rest just make up numbers.

Take into account the fact that African debutants actually do OK but struggle to come back because of Africa’s few WC slots.
So when they don’t qualify they sit at home with even fewer meaningful games to play and learn/develop.

On the other hand, the Europeans have an unfair number of slots that allow them to prepare and compete more often, horning not only their footie, but more importantly their logistics and planning skills.

To mitigate the problem, CAF wisely ( some say greedily) opted to hold the AFCON every two years.

Meanwhile, the knuckleheads bashing African teams are the same that bash AFCON scheduling.
They probably bet on games, lose money, then open ranting threads like this one.

[King Futcha]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

40 percent of Tunisia's squad were born in Europe, are they too a European team? or that only matters when you win? when you lose and are born outside of said country you are African?

Italy are also a European team and didn't even qualify. Not every European team wins.

maybe you are thinking of someone else, I didn't equate European with success, simply seeking clarification, what separates Morocco from Tunisia? both have numerous players who were born abroad? where their coach was born?

how about Senegal? many of their players were born in France, Cisse their coach, grew up in France, are they a European team?

[akamoke]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

40 percent of Tunisia's squad were born in Europe, are they too a European team? or that only matters when you win? when you lose and are born outside of said country you are African?

Italy are also a European team and didn't even qualify. Not every European team wins.

Correct. People would rather console themselves by digging for failure cases. However, the records clearly show that the successful teams have been European or S.American teams.

Ok, but that still does not validate the view that "African IS NOT good at football"

[camex]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

40 percent of Tunisia's squad were born in Europe, are they too a European team? or that only matters when you win? when you lose and are born outside of said country you are African?

Italy are also a European team and didn't even qualify. Not every European team wins.

maybe you are thinking of someone else, I didn't equate European with success, simply seeking clarification, what separates Morocco from Tunisia? both have numerous players who were born abroad? where their coach was born?

how about Senegal? many of their players were born in France, Cisse their coach, grew up in France, are they a European team?

No they are not. It is rather France that is an african team.

[scholl]

Africa isn't good at modern football. Atlas Lions is made up of players who grew and learned their football in Europe. Starting with the coach Regragui who was born in Paris. Amrabat was born in Utrecht. And so forth. Many can't speak Arabic or any Berber dialect. Football-wise Morocco is a European team.
Teams today are playing something that looks like half-court basketball where they pass the ball around constantly in triangles. Quick passes. U can't dribble as much as in the past because you are immediately surrounded by 3 defenders. A player requires good 1st touch, accurate one-touch passes. Player must plan the next move before he receives the ball. Players are now robots. Theres little room for creativity. Little room to run with ball at feet. Even Brazil are now mechanical robots with very high fitness levels. They are now known for pressing. Africa football is not played like this.

40 percent of Tunisia's squad were born in Europe, are they too a European team? or that only matters when you win? when you lose and are born outside of said country you are African?

Italy are also a European team and didn't even qualify. Not every European team wins.

Correct. People would rather console themselves by digging for failure cases. However, the records clearly show that the successful teams have been European or S.American teams.

Ok, but that still does not validate the view that "African IS NOT good at football"

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

[folem]

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

Are African players very good or great by any stretch!?

[scholl]

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

Are African players very good or great by any stretch!?

Historically, yes.

[folem]

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

Are African players very good or great by any stretch!?

Historically, yes.

Invariably any African team that can get enough very good/great players in its team will be very good/great,

[scholl]

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

Are African players very good or great by any stretch!?

Historically, yes.

Invariably any African team that can get enough very good/great players in its team will be very good/great,

There’s no direct correlation to what you just wrote. Great teams usually achieve success, not great players.

What constitutes a “very good/great player”? If Nigeria is country of many great and intelligent people, why is it a sh!thole?

[folem]

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

Are African players very good or great by any stretch!?

Historically, yes.

Invariably any African team that can get enough very good/great players in its team will be very good/great,

There’s no direct correlation to what you just wrote. Great teams usually achieve success, not great players.

What constitutes a “very good/great player”? If Nigeria is country of many great and intelligent people, why is it a sh!thole?

U probably need a significant majority. Naija is what it is because those so called great and intelligent people are a tiny minority who more than likely will check out of the country after one upheaval or the other..If a team is made of mainly great players the sum of the team will likely reflect that.

[scholl]

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

Are African players very good or great by any stretch!?

Historically, yes.

Invariably any African team that can get enough very good/great players in its team will be very good/great,

There’s no direct correlation to what you just wrote. Great teams usually achieve success, not great players.

What constitutes a “very good/great player”? If Nigeria is country of many great and intelligent people, why is it a sh!thole?

U probably need a significant majority. Naija is what it is because those so called great and intelligent people are a tiny minority who more than likely will check out of the country after one upheaval or the other..If a team is made of mainly great players the sum of the team will likely reflect that.

So then, you would agree that African teams aren’t great globally, since there are no achievements to reflect their greatness?

[folem]

I only countered those using non successes of European teams to debate their point. Saying Africa isn’t “good” may be incorrect but, in my opinion, Africa isn’t very good or great by any stretch!

Are African players very good or great by any stretch!?

Historically, yes.

Invariably any African team that can get enough very good/great players in its team will be very good/great,

There’s no direct correlation to what you just wrote. Great teams usually achieve success, not great players.

What constitutes a “very good/great player”? If Nigeria is country of many great and intelligent people, why is it a sh!thole?

U probably need a significant majority. Naija is what it is because those so called great and intelligent people are a tiny minority who more than likely will check out of the country after one upheaval or the other..If a team is made of mainly great players the sum of the team will likely reflect that.

So then, you would agree that African teams aren’t great globally, since there are no achievements to reflect their greatness?

Africa have been Olympic football Champions twice. That's good enough. With time WC Champions will happen for an African team. It may even happen the next time when the WC is hosted in Africa.