4 Quick Questions with Daniel Ajuh
What is the most under-appreciated aspect of African players settling in Europe?
The most under-appreciated aspect of African players settling in Europe is their ability to
quickly adapt to different environments.
African populations are very diverse with many countries having hundreds of ethnic groups
and languages. For example, Cameroon has over 200 different ethnic groups and around
260 different languages. These different ethnic groups also have different cultures as shown
through the varied foods, dress and religions. This means that African players can easily fit
into a new country as they are used to interacting with people from different cultures and
backgrounds.
How has Covid-19 sped up or slowed down African players moving from Africa to Europe?
COVID-19 has slowed down African players moving to Europe.
The key reason being that European clubs are limited in terms of live scouting of African
players in Africa due to tight COVID-19 travel restrictions on entering most African
countries. As many European clubs feel they need to live scout players before signing them
and cannot do that for these players presently, they decide not to sign the players. This is
compounded by the COVID-19 restrictions in place in many European countries for
foreigners which has prevented some European clubs from signing African players or
bringing in African players on trials as the clubs cannot obtain the requisite visas for the
players to enter the countries the clubs are based in.
Longer-term I suspect that small to medium sized European clubs who in 2-3 years’ time will
still be suffering from the impact that COVID-19 has had on their finances will look to Africa
more to sign players. This is because African players playing in Africa will offer better value
for money than players in other markets.
What club or clubs do the best job at nurturing African players in a new environment?
I think Metz and Nordsjaelland nurture African players in a new environment better than
any other European clubs. Interestingly, both clubs have close ties to African youth player
development in Senegal and Ghana respectively.
Metz give financial support to Generation Foot, a club in Senegal to develop players and in
return Metz get the pick of Generation Foot’s best players. In recent years the likes of Sadio
Mane and Pape Matar Sarr moved from Generation Foot to Metz, adapted rapidly and
became standout performers for Metz in a short space of time. Key factors behind the
smooth transition from Senegal to France for Generation Foot academy prospects is the way
the players are supported, encouraged and integrated on arriving in France.
Nordsjaelland, is similar to Metz as they too have a direct link to African football. The club’s
owners also own the Right to Dream academy in Ghana. The best players from the Right to
Dream academy are moved to Nordsjaelland and given opportunities to play in the Danish
Superliga very quickly. As seen from the likes of Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mohammed
Kudus. Due to the connection between the Right to Dream academy and Nordsjaelland, the
more talented players from the academy are prepared for life in Denmark before moving
and then given the right support and guidance to thrive in Denmark once there.
Some other European clubs who have nurtured African players well in recent years include
Lille, Sheriff Tiraspol, FC Midtjylland, Yeni Matalyaspor, Basel and Trencin.
Is Scandinavia an attractive destination for African players? Why?
Scandinavia is a very attractive destination for African players. I think there are two key
reasons for this.
Firstly, the difference in level between the top Scandinavian leagues and the level many
African players are playing at in Africa is not too significant. These players know that it will
be easier and take less time for them to adjust to the demands of the Scandinavian leagues
compared to higher level European leagues. In turn, enabling them to receive first-team
chances and cement themselves as regular starters quicker.
Additionally, many African players have excelled in Scandinavia over the last 20+ years and
gone on to have great careers at the highest levels of European football. Therefore, many
African players know that if they shine in Scandinavia that will open up a host of
opportunities for them to play in better leagues and for bigger clubs across Europe.
On a side note, Scandinavia is particularly attractive to English-speaking African players from
Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa etc, as a high proportion of people in Scandinavia are
fluent in English. This makes it far easier for players from these English-speaking African
countries to adapt to life in Scandinavia as they can easily communicate with their
teammates, managers, club officials and with the general public in their private lives.
Check out Daniel's blog as well (LINK)
