During the Obi One Podcast, former Nigerian captain and midfielder John Obi-Mikel expressed his frustration at some African players for ‘disrespecting their African roots’. He accused them of selecting African countries as a second option after failing to receive a call from European countries. His comments reignited the debate around dual citizenship in sports.
Dual citizenship in sports is a common phenomenon. Different disciplines allow athletes to hold multiple nationalities but have to operate within certain guidelines. This issue doesn’t only plague football. In this article, we dive deeper into the matter by understanding how it affects individual athletes and countries.
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Understanding Dual Nationality in Sport
Some players have dual nationality because they were born in a different country from their parents. Others moved to pursue their careers in foreign countries, became naturalized and have dual citizenship. Regardless of the cause, it sparks questions of who the player should represent internationally.
In football, FIFA allows players to change their affiliation under the following circumstances:
- The player was eligible to represent their second country when they played for their first even if they had played in an official competition.
- If they haven’t played more than three games and the matches weren’t in the FIFA World Cup final or a confederation tournament, before turning 21.
- At least three years have passed since the player’s last senior appearance for their previous national team.
This allows a lot of players who initially represented another country a chance to play international football elsewhere. However, these rules have changed over time. Previously, players who represented another country couldn’t switch nationality, limiting their possibility of developing an international career if they fell out of favor with their first-choice pick.
FIFA describes this as “excessive hardship”. The football world governing body announced these changes in late 2020 and explained that they are necessary for a globalized, modern world.
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John Obi Mikel’s Case
It’s important to state that Obi Mikel isn’t against players switching nationalities. He argues that if a player decides to represent a European nation, for instance, England, he should stand by his decision, especially if he fails to get a call up.
The former footballer’s frustration is sparked by the refusal of these players to represent African nations when given the chance at a younger age, hoping to play for European countries. Consequently, when this fails, they switch nationalities as a last resort to play international football. Here’s his comments on his podcast:
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Why African Players With Dual Nationality Opt for Non-African Nations
There are several examples of African players with alternative citizenship who opted to play for a European nation. For example, Jerome Boateng represented Germany despite being eligible to play for Ghana. However, his brother Kevin-Prince Boateng ditched Germany for Ghana.
The French national football team is littered with players of African descent. Kylian Mbappe (Cameroon), Ngolo Kante (Mali), Karim Benzema (Algeria), Paul Pogba (Guinea), Samuel Umtiti (Cameroon) and Blaise Matuidi (Angola and Congo).
Here’s why they chose Europe over Africa.
Better Opportunities
Europe has an elite football program compared to many African countries. As such, many dual nationality players opt to pursue their club and international careers there. This broadens their opportunities to play for the biggest clubs, enhancing their marketability.
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Lack of a Solid Connection to Africa
Some of these players were born and raised in Europe. Apart from being citizens of African countries through association, they have little connection to these places.
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Poor Governance
Kylian Mbappe’s father revealed that he wanted his son to represent Cameroon but some officials asked for money, SportsBrief reports:
“At first, I wanted my son to play for Cameroon, but someone at the Cameroon Football Federation charged a sum of money that I didn’t have to make him play. The French didn’t charge anything”.
This behaviour leaves a bad impression on African football and makes younger players rethink their decisions to represent African countries.
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Disadvantages of Having Dual Nationals Switch Allegiance to Africa
According to The Conversation, 630 players who featured in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 weren’t born in Africa. France produced the highest number of players with 104, followed by Spain with 24 and England with 15. The Moroccan national team had the most foreign-born players, with 18 squad players, Equatorial Guinea with 17 and the Democratic Republic of Congo with 16. Despite the positives for each country, how does this aspect of dual citizenship in sports impact African football?
The main impact on African football is the lack of development. If you can get 18 players from foreign clubs and a few handful locally, there isn’t much incentive to streamline your local systems. Therefore, in as much as the national teams will prosper and win some trophies, the long-term impact of neglecting local players and development will lead the collapse of the game.
Another drawback is the disillusionment of local players. Spain-born Ghanaian player Inaki Williams once said he didn’t accept a call to play for Ghana because he didn’t want to take the chance of a local player who deserved a place in the national team more than he did. Unfortunately, the outcome of importing African players is that local players, who don’t have professional infrastructure like their European-based counterparts, get ignored and there talent wasted.
African Players Who Have Switched Nationality Late in Their Careers
Looking back at John Obi Mikel’s statements, we highlight some African players with dual citizenship who switched their citizenship to play for Africa, after lacking opportunities to play for their first choice countries.
Wilfred Zaha
In 2016, Zaha switched allegiance to Ivory Coast after failing to earn an England call-up. He played for England twice but didn’t represent them in a competitive fixture.
Inaki Williams
Inaki Williams was approached by the Ghana Football Association to represent the country but turned it down. He explained that even though he had Ghanaian roots; he was born in Spain and his affiliation lies there. Furthermore, he explained that he wouldn’t want to take the place of another Ghanaian player who was born and raised in the country. However, he changed his tune ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and now represents Ghana. He says the decision was influenced by his family.
Shola Ameobi
Mikel Obi referenced the case of Shola Ameobi in his podcast. Ameobi was born in Nigeria but grew up in England. He hoped to play for the Three Lions but things didn’t turn out as expected. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Football Association‘s attempt to have him represent the West African Nation bore no fruits. The player changed his mind late in his career and declared to play for Nigeria.
In Conclusion
Representing your country is one of the ambitions that athletes have. That said, some find it a challenging choice because of the opportunity of having multiple nationalities present. On the one hand, they want to play for European nations because of career advancement, but African countries are hoping they will choose their roots. That said, Mikel maintains that these players should stick to their decisions whether they work for them or not. How should dual citizenship in sports be handled?
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