Last week, Sporting de Praia – the current Cape Verdean champion – and Boavista – the Cup winner – announced their withdrawal from the African club competitions. Lack of financial support was the reason given by both clubs.
At the same time, the president of the Football Federation warned that, for the same reasons, the Cape Verde national team might also drop out of the qualification for the ’12 African Cup of Nations and for the ’14 World Cup.
Cape Verde doesn’t have much of a history in football, but the latest signs have been of steady progress. In 2008, Sporting da Praia eliminated the famous FAR Rabat (Morocco), at the preliminary round of the African Champions League, winning 3-0 at home. A year earlier, the national team climbed to its best ever position on the world ranking: 68th.
Still, the latest events show how far off the African football is from its Europe counterpart, organization-wise. And it’s mostly about money.
Any European team who made it to the Champions League group stage received 7.1 million euros, plus 0.8 for every win. The last winner of the African Champions League, TP Mazembe, took home the somewhat meagre prize of 1 million euros.
On the other hand, for a small European club, continental football is a window of opportunity, to create a reputation and to market its best players, on global television. So, even if a round against a team from Moldavia was a non-profitable trip for Portuguese minnows Paços de Ferreira, they still went.
In Africa, the rewards are slimmer, away from the eyes of television, and the expenses can be even bigger. Like the Cape Verde national team felt last year, to travel to Tanzania, on the other side of the continent, can be a cost-ridden adventure.
The Government pays 30 per cent of the expenses and players are part-time professionals but it seems even that is not enough. Sponsors are few, in a country where the economy is still heavily reliant on the State, and their input usually only covers the wages and the equipment.
To be left out of the African competitions would surely be a “step backwards” for the Cape Verdean football, said the president of the Federation. And while South Africa is anxious to welcome the World Cup and millions dream of Ghana or Ivory Coast as champions, the continent’s football needs a step forward.
Written by Vitor Quintã
Tags: African Champions League, African Cup of Nations & Internationals, Boavista, Cape Verde, Cape Verdean Footbal Federation, European Champions League, FAR Rabat, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Moldavia, Morocco, Paços de Ferreira, Portugal, South Africa, Sporting da Praia, Tanzania, TP Mazembe, World Cup
This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 and is filed under African Domestic & Champions Leagues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
