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By enriching national associations – financially and competitively - outside traditional strongholds Infantino inevitably stands a better chance of consolidating his own position of power. It is a move first deployed by Joao Havelange and perfected by Sepp Blatter. However, just because the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams stands to benefit Infantino on a political level does not mean it is a bad idea.

FIFA has got some high-profile backers of the new initiative on board, including World Cup champion Diego Maradona and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho. "I'm delighted by Gianni's initiative because it gives chances to teams that otherwise would start the qualifiers knowing they had no chance of getting to the World Cup," Maradona said this week. "It gives each country the dream and it renews the passion for football, it appears to me to be a fantastic idea."

The World Cup has been in a constant state of evolution and we should not fear the latest revamp. The 32-team World Cup format might well feel right for this generation and the 24-team format probably felt right for the generation before that. But there is a balance to be struck between legitimate, compelling competition and offering more countries the chance to get there. That’s what any true “World Cup” should be about.

As it currently stands – given that UEFA supplies 13 of the 32 teams while CAF gets 5 and the AFC gets 4.5 – the existence of an imbalance in the favour of European teams cannot be denied. By upping the African and Asian quotas this FIFA Council decision goes some way to redressing it.

Goal.com

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Rita Akana

10.Jan.2017

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BBC Sports reports that Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou has been referred to Egyptian prosecutors for investigation over allegedly abusing his position.

At issue is a deal awarding the broadcast rights to several African football tournaments to a media company, Lagardere Sports.

According to the Egyptian Competition Authority, Hayatou is suspected of not opening up the tender to free and fair competition as required by Egyptian law.

Caf is based in Cairo so the authorities say it must follow their laws.

African football's governing body had no comment to make, while Hayatou could not be reached.

The 70-year-old is currently in Abjua, Nigeria ahead of Thursday's Caf annual awards.

Hayatou was elected as Caf president in 1998 and is serving his seventh term in office.

Lagardere is not the subject of the referral, but says the allegation is wholly unfounded.

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Rita Akana

05.Jan.2017

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he Lions in their first warm-up game ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, has defeated the Nzalang Nacional 2-0.

the two goals scored in the second half came through Oyongo Bitolo and the second from Christian Bassogog.

Though DRC stared the game vigour, making dangerous attempts at goal early the steam soon died down when the Lions entered the game.

Taking control of the game in the second half the Lions dominated till the end of the game.

Lions4life

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Rita Akana

05.Jan.2017

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Fans of the Aigle football club of Menoua, a team in Cameroon's second division, cheer their players during a training session. Among the strikers is 31-year-old Emmanuel Koska.

Koska recently returned from Thailand. He sold his father’s land to pay for the trip but says that once he arrived, his agent disappeared and the team he went to play for did not retain him.

Now back home, Koska struggles to earn enough to meet his needs and those of his family. 

"Playing at the local level here in Cameroon, there is nothing much," Koska says. "Normally on Monday, after a day of play, players can earn like 750 [Central African] francs (about $1) per training session and it is not every day.”

It’s a common story, according to Cameroonian football analyst Kizito Eloundou, who says Cameroonian players who seek greener pastures abroad face challenges competing with players with known track records.

He says overseas teams consider the players they know first, while many of the Cameroonian players wind up working as night watch men or doing odd jobs for little pay.

When they return home, their performance on the field has suffered and coaches lose interest.

Sobering statistics

Many African youngsters dream of becoming wealthy football stars but stories like Koska's, as well as the first-ever global employment report by FIFpro, the world players' union, could serve as a reality check.

The report highlights precarious working conditions and contract violations such as delayed pay that can leave players vulnerable to injury and match-fixing.

Salaries are also lower than the public may think, according to FIFpro, which finds that nearly three-fourths of players in Africa earn less than $1,000 per month.

Joseph Embola, a 24-year-old player for Tonnerre Kalara, a division one club, says he tries not to think about the money aspect of the game.

"When we are playing football, we are not thinking about the money," Embola says. "We are thinking more about the future because if we think about money, it is going to discourage us. Can you imagine that we go for nine months without being paid? They owe us arrears for nine months. That is very discouraging."

Just a handful of Cameroon's 100 professional teams actually pay their players, according to first division coach Kazimir Makeh. The rest have to rely on their families and handouts from fans.

Makeh says the consequence is that Cameroonian football is being deprived of youths who could make the game more interesting, competitive and lively.

Once a young man shows signs of becoming a good player, Makeh says the talented player is recruited abroad with promises that his needs, and the needs of his family, will be met. He says players prefer to go on the adventure.

In a bid to retain more talent, the Cameroon Football Association is looking for company sponsorship so that it can add to the 5 million CFA francs, about $9,000, that it gives to clubs each year.

VOA

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Rita Akana

04.Jan.2017

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