The-Shot.Net Writers Club - All roads may lead to Europe, but...

Though Frédéric Kanouté's switch from France's under-21 international to Mali's full international team made headlines before and during the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, the Tottenham striker was not the first. Another former French under-21 international, Anthar Yahia, became the first African to take advantage of FIFA's Article 15, which was ratified at the FIFA Extraordinary Congress (held at Doha, Qatar, late in 2003) and came into effect on January 1, 2004. The Article stipulates that "up to his 21st birthday, a player who has represented an Association team in one or more matches of an official competition may henceforth request to change the Association for which he is eligible, provided that he fulfils the following criteria: 1) he has not played at 'A' international level for the Association for which he is eligible at the time he submitted the request; 2) he had dual nationality (or more than two nationalities) at the time of his first appearance in an international match at an official competition of any category."

Two days after the new FIFA rule came into effect, French-born Bastia defender Antar Yahia made his début when he scored for Algeria in their 1-0 win over Ghana in an Olympic Games qualifier. Yahia was joined by Abdelnasser Ouaddah from Ajaccio and Samir Beloufa. Other former French junior internationals who turned their backs on the country of their birth for the land of their fathers are Marouane Chammakh, who now plays for Morocco, and Lamine Sakho, who opted for Senegal, quarter-finalists at the World Cup 2002. Tottenham's caretaker manager David Pleat was not too pleased with Kanouté's decision. "I do feel a bit aggrieved that we were not told about him using his Mali qualification when we signed him," Pleat said. It's a small price to pay back to the former colonies, as football researcher Dr. Alejandro Rodón puts it. He says that, considering how many players were basically forced to don the national colours of their former colonisers earlier, European countries can be glad it's not a wholesale exodus. Indeed, what would happen to countries like France if more players opted for the land of their fathers? "European national teams have long been siphoning players from African countries, most of them not independent until the mid-20th century". Rodón points out that Africans have been playing for their former colonisers as far back as the 1930's. "Most were not independent yet except for Egypt," says Rodón, "but the tradition was firmly established already then; especially in France, where French Algeria was seen as part of the European motherland. Indeed, France had players of Algerian descent as early as the World Cup 1938 (reserve Abdelkader Ben Bouali), and it is now history that they won their first ever World Cup title with a big hand from Zidane (born in Marseille of Algerian parents) as well as Desailly (Ghana) and Vieira (Senegal)". Before that, France did well at the 1984 European Championship and the 1986 World Cup with their midfield marshal, Mali-born Jean Amadou Tigana.

"France are by no means alone," says Rodón. "Portugal's most impressive runs at major international football tournaments were always powered by Mozambican players; particularly their third place at the World Cup 1966, when they counted not only on the world-renowned Eusébio, but also on Augusto, Mário Coluna (the captain), Hilário and Simões - almost half the team, and all five played in every one of Portugal's five matches. Moreover, Eusébio finished top scorer of the tournament, with 9 goals to his name (more than half of Portugal's total tally of 17). Elsewhere, the African presence is not so strong (yet), but it is readily found. The Mpenza brothers of Belgium are of Congolese extraction, the father of Henrik Larsson (one of Sweden's most popular internationals) is from the Cape Verde Islands, and the father of Norway's Roma striker John Carew is a former Gambian goalkeeper." Indeed, of Europe's major teams, only Spain and Italy do not regularly field Africans, though the Azzuri once capped a player of an Ethiopian mother and an Italian father, Fabio Liverani. (The Netherlands also field many black players, but these - or their parents - are from Surinam or the Netherlands Antilles.)

And yet, while Kanouté and Yahia may grab the headlines, the trend is definitely in the other direction; as the World Cup 2002 made plain, when in addition to France, Portugal, England and Belgium, Africans were seen playing for countries which are not usually associated with the drain of players from the continent: Gerald Asamoah (Ghana) played for Germany, Emmanuel Olisadebe (Nigeria) for Poland (his naturalisation expedited by a direct presidential order), and prior to the tournament, South Korea considered naturalising Emmanuel Ohaeri (Nigeria). The USA national team, for its part, counts Nelson Akwari (Nigeria) and Freddy Adu (Ghana).

The stream of players from Africa to Europe will continue unabated for a while yet, although it is probably only a matter of time until we start seeing a steady trickle in the other direction; although at the World Cup 1998, South Africa fielded two non-African players, Pierre Issa (Lebanese) and Hans Vonk (Dutch). As players who opted for the land of their fathers have proven at this Cup of Nations, it remains to be seen whether African countries who have players stationed abroad, will call them. If that happens, we may see the likes of Reunion Island calling on cousins, Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who led France to the championship trophy in the FIFA under-17 World Championship in September 2003. All roads may lead to Europe, but the same roads also lead out of it.