4 World Cup power dimensions: African resistance
While there are several examples of activism and protest in relation to World Cup events, the next sections will focus first on the African nations’ boycott of the 1966 men’s World Cup and secondly, the public protests at the 2014 men’s World Cup in Brazil.
Although the 1966 men’s World Cup is best remembered, particularly by English fans, for Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet trophy, it was equally important as the only World Cup in history to be boycotted by an entire continent – Africa. This stemmed from Africa’s protest at the number of spots FIFA awarded the continent in World Cup tournaments and highlights a power struggle by a group of nations who had historically been forgotten by the governing body.
Activity 5 African protest and resistance
Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes
Listen to three clips from the BBC documentary Missing the World Cup and respond to the subsequent questions.
Download this audio clip.Audio player: Audio 2
Transcript: Audio 2 Missing the World Cup 1
SPEAKER 1
For in January 1964, FIFA ruled that of the 16 teams going to the World Cup in England, 10 should be from Europe, five from the Americas and the Caribbean region, so leaving the continent of Africa, Asia, and Australia to fight for just one place. It’s hard to imagine now, given the prominent role of African football in the way in which the likes of Cameroon's Roger Milla and even Ghana themselves in 2010 lit up the tournament. But it was very different back then.
So in February 1964, just a month after FIFA’s ruling, Ghana's Director of Sports Ohene Djan, whose office was just hundreds of yards away from where I’m standing, sent FIFA a telegram in which he cried foul.
SPEAKER 2
Registering strong objection to unfair and unreasonable work up arrangement for Afro-Asian countries. Stop. 25 Afro-Asian countries struggling through painful, expensive, qualifying series, for ultimate one finalist representation is pathetic and unsound. Stop. At worst, Africa should have one finalist in the London tournament. Stop. Urgent. Reconsider. Ohene Djan, Executive Member, Africa.
Audio 2 Missing the World Cup 1
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
Download this audio clip.Audio player: Audio 3
Transcript: Audio 3 Missing the World Cup 2
SPEAKER 1
If we had been in the World Cup, yeah, that would have been fantastic. Because we went to Tokyo and tested for Olympic games. We were 8, and there were 16 teams.
SPEAKER 2
Do you have any regrets and wish that you had been able to play at the World Cup?
SPEAKER 1
Of course. Of course, that one, I don’t know any of us who will say they didn’t regret it. Because after we had been watching the World Cup, we could have even gone better than some of the teams. We would have gone for final or win. Because we know ourselves. Because we played with the clubs here in Ghana. If you are able to play Real Madrid, 3-3, I think you are one of the greatest teams.
SPEAKER 2
Do you believe it was the right decision, even though you’re sad about missing out on the World Cup? Do you believe it was the right decision that Africa didn’t participate in the 1966 World Cup?
SPEAKER 1
This is a big question. Since they are the leaders of the nation concerning football, and they took that decision. I think I can’t actually say it was good or not.
SPEAKER 2
But you must be able to say it was good or not. Because I know they took the decision 50 years ago.
SPEAKER 1
To us, we would have gone.
Audio 3 Missing the World Cup 2
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
Download this audio clip.Audio player: Audio 4
Transcript: Audio 4 Missing the World Cup 3
SPEAKER 1
So it was no small matter for Africa to boycott the World Cup. However, this was a time when African pride in its decision making was at an all time high, as decolonisation swept through the continent.
SPEAKER 2
We realise that only when this principle of one man, one vote is adopted throughout the length and breadth of the continent of Africa, can the misery and oppression, which prevailed in many parts of this continent, come to an end. It is our aim to strive with all our might to bring this about.
SPEAKER 3
And the most striking of all the impressions that I have formed is of the strength of this African national consciousness. The wind of change is blowing through this continent. And whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.
SPEAKER 4
If you talk to some of the pioneers, including Dr Halim of Sudan, he locates the football argument in the broader postcolonial move into independence story. That is, FIFA is quite important as the United Nations, in order to be recognised as a world body.
SPEAKER 1
Ghana’s founding father, Kwame Nkrumah, British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, and lastly, Alan Tomlinson a football historian who’s written four books on FIFA.
Audio 4 Missing the World Cup 3
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).
- Why were the African nations so disappointed in FIFA’s allocation of World Cup spots and what did they want?
- How does the Ghanian player Kofi Pare’s view highlight political aspects of power?
- What main political issues, outside of football, impacted the boycott?
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Discussion
- FIFA’s allocation of World Cup spots disproportionally disadvantaged African nations with just one nation from all of Africa, Asia and Oceania able to compete at the tournament. They believed that Africa should have at least one finalist at the 1966 men’s World Cup
- Kofi Pare indicated that African players would have liked to have competed at the 1966 World Cup. This highlights the political power that the governing bodies held in Africa over their players. Of course, this isn’t a concept restricted to Africa, but it shows that players and authorities don’t always agree on the best course of action. In this instance, the African players of Ghana, whom many considered were best placed to qualify for the World Cup, were the unwitting innocent party of the political conflict between African football authorities and FIFA.
- The African nations were frustrated by their lack of representation and voice. Pride played a role here – with decolonisation and their subsequent independence the nations felt they should have been perceived better and with more respect by the rest of the world.
The boycott itself proved to be the turning point for better recognition of the continent’s national teams. By 1982, the men’s competition had been extended to 24 teams and increased again in 1998 to 32 nations, giving greater recognition to African and Asian nations. These decisions were partly motivated by a desire to better accommodate previously disenfranchised constituencies at the World Cup (Darby, 2019). By 2022, Africa were guaranteed five spots in the men’s World Cup in Qatar (the second most represented continent, behind Europe).