Anyone who is paying attention knows that football is big in South Africa. Local fans are both knowledgeable and passionate about the game, and they know how to recognise great play. Still, it’s somewhat confusing why some of the most popular players and teams are not from South Africa, but rather located thousands of miles north.
The obsession of South African football fans with the European leagues is a real phenomenon that impacts the local sports economy as well as growth of youth football. That’s why it deserves a proper analysis to understand why it happens and what it really means going forward.
South African Fans Want High-End Football
The draw of top European competitions is simple – it’s good football. The teams competing in the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europe League have huge budgets and can afford to field powerful teams composed of elite players coming from all continents. Even national championships in Spain, England, Germany, or France have this international feel that makes the game more palatable for foreign audiences. There are a few notable South African players who defended the colours of famous European clubs such as Leeds United’s Lucas Radebe and Everton’s Steven Pienaar, and that certainly contributed to the penetration of the game to the local market.
South African football fans were exposed to elite football in 2010 during the World Cup, so it’s not realistic to expect them to start ignoring it again. They have become more fluent in the tactical nuances and want to watch well-coached, disciplined teams in action. That’s a standard that only European football can meet consistently on a year-round basis, particularly in years without major international tournaments.
Exposure to European Football through the Internet
A part of the explanation comes down to opportunity. In the internet era, fans can easily find all information about European teams online, and even watch live streams of games in real time. In other words, being a fan of a Premier League club while living in South Africa has suddenly become quite feasible even for those who can’t afford to travel to England on a regular basis. It actually costs less to catch a big game on TV or the web than to visit a local stadium and see a hometown team.
The coverage goes far beyond games, so fans are able to follow player transactions, analyse statistics, or find first-hand reports from team practices. This allows the fans to become more deeply immersed in the culture and to develop an even deeper understanding of the finer aspects of professional football. Since they are not bound by geography, they are free to choose their favourites from all over the globe, which naturally results in support for the most visible clubs.
Top Players Serving As Role Models for Young Africans
Football is a star-driven sport with a handful of best players attracting the most attention. Young people often make a lifelong commitment based on their love for a single player. In case of South African youngsters, their idols often play for the biggest European teams and appear in marketing campaigns for top global brands. That’s one of the factors that contribute to the popularisation of football, but at the expense of local stars losing some of their currency.
The appeal of the best performers and media darlings is obvious, while social media provides a way to learn every detail about them. In addition to their football careers, fans can also follow their favourite players’ private lives, social activism, fashion styling…. In this sense, top athletes also double as the most impactful influencers in the online environment.
Betting As a Driver of European Football’s Popularity
One reason for the booming interest for football is less glamorous and often forgotten when growth of the sport in South Africa is discussed. That’s online betting, which is becoming increasingly available through legitimate channels. Soccer betting in South Africa is rapidly gaining new grounds and is becoming a huge industry, while players can predict games that happen anywhere in the world and place a soccer bet all hours of the day.
With more people making bets, it’s only logical that more people are watching games. Some betting websites even offer free live streams, making it extremely easy to follow the action and maybe even place a bet while the match is in progress. Betting also provides a topic for conversation with neighbours and co-workers, making it easier to insert football fandom into everyday life and gradually drawing more bettors to try their luck on European games.
If the Focus on Europe Hurting the Quality of the South African Game?
It’s not easy to assess how the obsession with European football affects the local scene in the long run. It’s beyond doubt that it creates new fans, some of whom might go on to follow local teams as well. On the other hand, if fans are spending their money on sports TV channel subscriptions and replica shirts of big Euro clubs instead of local match tickets, there is less of it trickling down to South African players. It’s a fine balance, and only time will tell how beneficial it really is for football in South Africa.