Sports
2012 AFCON: How Nigerians Pay For National Team
As shock qualifiers Niger took on co-hosts Gabon in their first game in the Africa Cup of Nation finals, it has been a bitter-sweet feeling for the people of Niger. Football fan or not, they are helping to foot the bill for the Mena’s maiden tournament – every time they use their mobile phones.
Back in September Niamey’s General Seyni Kountche stadium erupted into joy as Koffi Dan Kowa and star striker Moussa Maazou scored the two goals that helped Niger to a shock 2-1 win over South Africa and ultimately sent them to their continent’s most prestigious tournament for the very first time.
Few of the 35,000 spectators watching that day probably realised that victory would also add 10 CFA francs to the cost of each minute they spend on their mobile phones.
It will fund some of the $5million (£3.8million) that taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations is expected to cost the Mena, the local Hausa name for the Dama gazelle, which features on Niger’s football strip.
The tax, which ran from 25 December until 25 January, is a significant burden given that the average cost of a minute’s call is 100 CFA francs.
Football is of course a global sport of riches, the international governing body FIFA gives all members $250,000 a year and in January 2011 even paid out a $300,000 bonus to each, but that does not go far when for every other game you have to travel huge distances across a vast continent.
So should some of the global game’s huge resources be made available to spare Nigerien mobile phone users an extra burden?
The Vice-President of Niger’s Football Federation, Colonel Ibrahim Yakubu, is adamant that his country “doesn’t want the charity of Caf, all we want is respect”.
To raise a reported $130million over eight years the regional Confederation of African Football (CAF) even sold the naming rights to its showpiece competition.
It is part of a deal, which ironically for Niger’s four million subscribers (25 per cent of the population), has been struck with the mobile phone company Orange.
The company stresses that the new tax and its involvement with the Cup of Nations are not related, adding that it also sponsors the Nigerien national federation.
Col Yakubu says the federation had not asked anyone for extra money and did not believe CAF or FIFA would give it anything anyway.
“If it’s a team for the people they should contribute,” he adds, promising that in return the players “will try to give their maximum” despite having to get by on the smallest budget of all the teams who have qualified for the finals. The new tax has of course divided public opinion.
The Mena are this tournament’s surprise qualifiers – and, coming from one of the poorer countries, have to survive on the smallest team budget
International aid agencies, such as UNICEF, are warning of an impending food crisis in Niger, which already languishes at second to bottom of the UN development ranking of countries.
So it is little surprise that, the government, according to Col Yakubu has “lots of things” to spend money on and simply cannot afford to pay the full cost itself.
So what exactly will the new tax fund?
The Nigerien Football Federation said that the money raised will be added to private donations and a small contribution from the government to meet the accommodation and food bill in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
It will also pay for transport costs, including the two planes that have taken the Mena on this journey of a lifetime.
Additionally there will be some modest financial rewards for the 23 players, seven of whom play in the amateur domestic league. Of those that play abroad in countries as diverse as Belgium, Thailand and South Africa none earn huge sums of money.
The pride they have given their countrymen after qualifying against the odds is worthy of recognition, according to Col Yakubu.
In a country where World Bank figures show the average income is about $1 a day, questions are being asked as to whether this is the best way to pay for their team’s participation.
Niger has benefited from millions of dollars’ worth of debt relief and so good governance, the tax system included, is seen as essential by much of the international community.
Children play football in the streets of Harovanda, a lower class neighborhood of Niamey, on September 11, 2012. Qualification could inspire of generation of footballers from Niger
One mobile phone industry source admitted that the new tax was “not a favourable approach” and could be “detrimental” to the industry, especially as it raises fears of customers being taxed for other short term projects.
Mahaman Tidjani Alou, a professor of political science at Niamey’s state-funded Abdou Moumouni University, argues that there is nothing to worry about.
“For me, it’ll all depend on how this money is going to be used,” he says.
“If it’s used for other purposes, this will be a dangerous way of going about it,” he says, adding that civic society groups are already calling for an audit once the tournament is over.
But it is not just about ensuring that every cent is spent properly in such a poor country as landlocked Niger.
There is also the danger that such a tax could dent economic growth in the country where the mobile phone is expected to play a significant role in raising living standards.
A recent International Monetary Fund working paper suggests that for every 10 per cent of people with a mobile phone there is likely to be a 0.7 per cent growth in the economy. The global trade body for mobile phone operators, the GSM Association, puts this figure even higher – at 1.2 per cent.
Of course the better Niger does in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea the less controversial their finances will be. The Mena lost their opening match 0-2 to Gabon.
Col Yakubu would not be surprised if once again they exceed expectations. He says that “Niger can win because its football and any team can win, that’s the beauty of football”.
Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.
The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.
However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.
Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.
But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.
Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.
Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)
Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.
The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.
That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.
This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.
“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”
“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”
Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.
They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.
Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.
Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.
In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.
The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.
Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.
Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.
But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.
With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.
Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.
Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.
Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.
The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.
Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.
He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.
Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.
Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.
Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.
The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.
It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.
The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.
Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.
Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.
Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.
The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.
It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.
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