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Perturbations. Reflections on Africa. Inside football media intimates that 58 players of African descent will feature in the ongoing Euro. It will be interesting to perform a similar exercise in the remit of science, medicine and technology. Beyond the usual narrative of the extraction of resources (often limited to “natural mineral resources”) - there’s the often neglected human resource component. The NBA is no different. 10% of NBA players are Africans. What accounts the attrition rate of African gems to other parts of the world 🌎? Offshoot of globalization ? Better education prospects? Better remuneration? Notion of the grass been greener on the other side ? Meritocracy? Securing the future of families? 📌5️⃣8️⃣ players of African descent will play at the UEFA EURO 2024 tournament in Germany 🇩🇪 ▪🇫🇷France: Brice Samba 🇨🇩 Ferland Mendy 🇸🇳 🇬🇼 Dayot Upamecano 🇬🇼 Jules Koundé 🇧🇯 William Saliba 🇨🇲 Ibrahima Konaté 🇲🇱 Eduardo Camavinga 🇨🇩 Aurélien Tchouameni 🇨🇲 N'Golo Kanté 🇲🇱 Youssouf Fofana 🇲🇱 Kylian Mbappé 🇨🇲 🇩🇿 Ousmane Dembélé 🇲🇷 🇲🇱 Randal Kolo Muani 🇨🇩 Bradley Barcola 🇹🇬 ▪🇧🇪Belgium: Romelu Lukaku 🇨🇩 Jérémy Doku 🇬🇭 Loïs Openda 🇲🇦🇨🇩 Johan Bakayoko 🇷🇼🇮🇪 Dodi Lukebakio 🇨🇩 Amadou Onana 🇸🇳🇨🇲 Orel Mangala 🇨🇩 Youri Tielemans 🇨🇩 Aster Jan Vranckx🇨🇩 ▪🇨🇭Switzerland Yvon Nganoma 🇨🇲 Manuel Akanji 🇳🇬 Denis Zakaria 🇨🇩🇸🇸 Breel Embolo 🇨🇲 Noah Okafor 🇳🇬 Kwadwo Antwi Duah 🇬🇭 Dan Ndoye 🇸🇳 Mohamed Amdouni 🇹🇳 ▪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿England: Bukayo Saka 🇳🇬 Kobbie Mainoo 🇬🇭 Eberechi Eze 🇳🇬 Marc Guéhi 🇨🇮 Ezri Konsa 🇨🇩 Joe Gomez 🇬🇲 ▪🇩🇪Germany: Antonio Rüdiger🇸🇱 Jamal Musiala 🇳🇬 Jonathan Tah🇨🇮 Benjamin Henrichs 🇬🇭 Leroy Sané 🇸🇳 ▪🇳🇱Netherlands: Memphis Depay 🇬🇭 Jeremie Frimpong 🇬🇭 Brian Brobbey 🇬🇭 Cody Gakpo 🇹🇬🇬🇭 ▪🇵🇹 Portugal: Nélson Semedo🇨🇻 Danilo Pereira 🇬🇳 Nuno Mendes 🇦🇴 Rafael Leão 🇦🇴 🇸🇹 ▪🇮🇹 Italy: Michael Folorunsho 🇳🇬 Stephan El Shaarawy 🇪🇬 ▪🇪🇸 Spain: Lamine Yamal 🇲🇦 Nico Williams 🇬🇭 ▪🇩🇰 Denmark: Yussuf Poulsen 🇹🇿 Alexander Bah 🇬🇲 ▪🇦🇹 Austria: Kevin Danso 🇬🇭 Phillipp Mwene 🇰🇪

By 2030, young Africans are projected to constitute 42% of the world’s youth. With a growing interest in rugby across the continent – it’s currently present in almost 40 countries –, rugby is one of the sports with more potential for driving socioeconomic progress for African societies. I have joined forces with Herbert Mensah, President of Rugby Afrique, to make a very concrete call to harness the power of sports in general and rugby in particular: we need commitment and investment. Africa can build a promising economic ecosystem, offering immense potential to drive human development and livelihoods to African societies, but only if we pull efforts in the same direction. At UNESCO, we firmly believe it’s high time we recognise the attributes of rugby to address social challenges and build more sustainable communities for all. Together, we can make a difference! https://lnkd.in/egYmd5ef #Fit4Life #InvestInAfrica #RugbyAfrique #Sport

This is history in the making. Cindy Ngamba just became the first athlete from the Refugee Olympic team to take a medal. Having had the honor of working with women who are refugees or internally displaced at a few different points in my career, it is amazing and not at all surprising to see this. Refugee women are strong, resilient, compassionate, and resourceful. With the growing amount of displacement due to climate change disaster, conflict, famine, political upheaval and the rise of authoritarian governments we need to be constantly thinking through how to ensure that women refugees are included as co-designers and co-decision-makers in global development programs in each country. They know how to surmount difficult obstacles to achieve their objectives. https://lnkd.in/eguAXMem

In 2018, Dakar was announced as the host city for the Youth Summer Olympics, originally scheduled for 2022 but later postponed to 2026. I have followed this development closely, noting it as a great opportunity for Ghana to showcase its basketball potential to the world with a relatively lenient qualification process. Unfortunately, it appears that neither the Ghana Olympic Committee nor the Ghana Basketball Association is aware of this opportunity. My aspiration to see Ghana compete in basketball on the world stage at any level remains strong, despite the current poor state of basketball administration and management across the country. With just one year left to finalize participating countries, there is still a slim chance for Ghana to present its top youth basketball talents, ages 15 to 18, from Ghana, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Ghana has budding basketball talents in both male and female categories; all that is needed is visionary and authentic leadership, along with strategic management, to make Team Ghana a reality. Although I had resolved not to get involved in Ghanaian basketball politics, I feel compelled to act for the future of our youth and the potential of basketball in Ghana. Therefore, I would like to unofficially announce my interest in assembling a team to stand for the next Ghana Basketball Association elections, whenever they are announced. It is time for us to take a stand for transformation. "If you dont stand for something, you will fall for anything" Malcom X. #bevisionary #beauthentic #characteriseverything #youtholympics #ghanabasketball #dakar2026

Why are there so few South Asian players at the top levels of English football? Spoiler Alert! It’s not because there’s a lack of talent and aspiration. This question around the lack of South Asian footballers coming through has been asked for years and years. I think it’s vital to further examine the barriers impacting British South Asians, starting by being clear by who is being described by this term ‘South Asian’ This is a huge category of people and is similar to the unhelpful BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) label, attached to people of colour from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds. Which ethnic groups amongst British South Asians in particular are facing barriers to accessing football and being developed by the game and what is the relationship between socio- economics, class, and faith? How is Islamophobia and racism impacting potential players for example. We have seen the clear documented impact of Islamophobia in cricket, so why is football not drilling down further to ask these questions and seek answers? And what about gender? What is being done to tackle the barriers impacting women and girls from these backgrounds from being developed as footballers? My Churchill Fellowship is focused on how to make football equitable for British Muslim women and girls. I’m travelling to France and Pakistan for my research to see what lessons can be applied here to tackle the barriers preventing talent from emerging. ******* For decades, it’s been asked why there are so few South Asian players at the top of English football. There are only 22 professional players with South Asian heritage playing in England’s top four leagues this season. That’s a tiny figure when you consider British Asians, whose parents and grandparents came from places such as India and Pakistan, can be counted in millions. https://lnkd.in/e-mXzM-F #football #inclusion #equity

⚽️ Is the Netherlands national football team authentic? All the squad in the Dutch national football team playing in UEFA EURO 2024 are born in the Netherlands. Source: https://lnkd.in/eHP6BDWB Today, there is no truthful race and ethnicity out there that represents the Netherlands national football team. Sociology explores further the topic on how humanity has been using ways of categorising people, migrations continue to influence in the transformation of Dutch DNA. The modern population history of the Netherlands remains poorly understood owing to populist nationalism and racism that pops in sports. Many of us confuse racial and ethnic groups, but there are important differences and neither is the same as nationality. Let’s explore briefly the distinctions between the concepts of race, ethnicity and nationality since they are heavily intertwined that it's sometimes hard to tell one from the other. Governments, workplaces, and educational institutions often collect data on these categories. In all official documents your place of birth is stated. This is never going to change. Yet, nationality is something different and this difference is unsatisfying and unclear to some because a nationality is a human right by choice. The meanings of race, ethnicity and nationality have evolved over time — and will continue to shift — because race and ethnicity are plain social and political constructs. The race of the Dutch national football team player refers to a group of people who share biological or physical traits – such as skin tone, hair texture or eye shape – based on some common ancestry. In short, a nationality —or more nationalities— is an indication of the country where a person is a legal citizen, and is acquired by birth or adoption or marriage or descent (the specifics vary from country to country). Ethnicity refers to a cultural sense of common ancestry, not always a choice. So, a Dutch football player born to Surinamese parents in Amsterdam would be a Netherlands national and might consider himself as racially Afro-Surinamese and ethnically South Asian (descendant of the largest ethnic group in Suriname), or even just Dutch. So, yes, the Netherlands national football team is indeed diverse and authentically Dutch. We are all born free to choose a cultural identity. #sociology #voetbal #football #sports #uefa #inclusion #ethnicity

The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations was a carnival of emotions, filled with jaw-dropping moments that left fans in awe. 🎉 Among the most captivating tales was South Africa's triumphant journey, defying all odds to seize third place in the tournament. 🥉 What makes their victory even more remarkable is the composition of their squad, boasting a remarkable statistic: out of the 26 players in Bafana Bafana's AFCON squad, a staggering 23 ply their trade in South Africa's Premier Soccer League⚽️ This incredible feat highlights a significant shift in African football, as more nations prioritize the development of homegrown talent over-reliance on players trained abroad. 🌍⚽️ While many teams boast dual nationals, South African Football Association stands out as one of the few squads with a predominantly homegrown roster. 🌟 Indeed, the Africa Cup of Nations serves as a platform for celebrating the continent's footballing prowess and the remarkable strides made in nurturing local talent. 🏆💪 South Africa's achievement is not just a victory on the pitch but also a testament to the success of grassroots initiatives and investment in domestic leagues. 🌟👏 As we reflect on the unforgettable moments of AFCON 2024, let's celebrate South Africa's remarkable journey and the bright future of African football! 🎉🌟 #AFCON #SouthAfrica #FootballHeroes #GrassrootsSuccess

A Victory Overshadowed by Injustice: Afghanistan's Win and the Exiled Women's Cricket Team Today, Afghanistan stunned the world with a remarkable victory over Australia in the men's T20 World Cup. This triumph will be celebrated in homes across Afghanistan, a nation passionate about cricket. Yet, there's a poignant undercurrent to this jubilation. The Afghanistan women's cricket team, now exiled in Australia, should be sharing in this collective pride. Instead, they are reminded of their forced flight from their homeland, fearing for their lives simply because they are women and cricketers. The International Cricket Council (ICC) mandates that all full members, which Afghanistan became in 2017, must have a women's team. Since the Taliban took power in 2021, girls and women in Afghanistan have been barred from playing sports, facing threats that have driven most athletes into exile. Where is the hope for Afghan girls and the exiled women's team if there are no sanctions on the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)? How can the ICC allow Afghanistan to remain a member under these conditions? While Australia and England refuse to play Afghanistan in bilateral competitions to protest this issue, the other 11 members must intensify pressure on the ICC. In 2023, the ICC suspended Sri Lanka due to political interference. Why then, are they unwilling to act against the ACB? It's time for the ICC to uphold its own rules and ensure gender equality in cricket. #GenderEqual #HumanRights #Sport4All

Can African countries stop failing our people?! It's disheartening to see a recurring pattern of incompetence and negligence from our sports officials, costing our athletes precious opportunities. Last time, it was Ghanaian athletes who were unable to compete due to technical staff missing registration deadlines. And now, Nigerian officials have repeated the same mistake, failing to register an athlete who then switched nationality and went on to win a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics! But that's not all - Ghana sent the African high jump champion, Rose, to Paris without her personal trainer! Can you imagine competing on the world stage without your trusted coach by your side? Unsurprisingly, she struggled to perform at her best, and it's a shame we couldn't give her the support she deserved. How many more chances will we waste due to bureaucratic blunders? Our athletes work tirelessly to represent our nations with pride, only to be let down by those responsible for supporting them. It's time for African sports authorities to take responsibility, streamline their processes, and prioritize our athletes' success. We owe it to them to do better. #AfricanSports #AthleteWelfare #CompetenceMatters #SupportOurAthletes