Wednesday, 30 March 2022

Salah and Mane: Symbols of Progressive Pan African Sporting Rivalry

By Takura Zhangazha*

There are two world class African players who since the beginning of this year have had to play for their countries in two major international competitions. They played against each other in the final of the delayed 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations.  And only this week they have played in a final qualifying match for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.  These players are Mohamad Salah of Egypt and Sadio Mane of Senegal.  They also incidentally both turn out for and are stars for English Premier league side, Liverpool FC. 

In both matches in which they turned up for their countries, Senegal defeated Egypt by way of winning close penalty shootouts.  And as many football fans will know, penalty shootouts, no matter how much you practice, are essentially about luck. 

Given both players’ global football stardom and also the fact that they are national icons in their countries of origin, the last three or so months have probably been an emotional rollercoaster for them individually but also most significantly for their fans.

On the broader African continent, the fact that Senegal and Egypt met twice in a row in a final and  final qualification rounds of major tournaments was both intriguing and entertaining.  Media stories and social media posts were all about the rivalry between Salah and Mane for country. Including assumptions that because of this they probably would not get along when turning out for Liverpool FC.  Such arguments while reflective of both players footballing global superstardom are yet to be proven true.  Either by word of mouth or by actions on the pitch. 

There are however conversations that also emerge in fan circles about regional footballing rivalry between West, South, East and North Africa.  And this is why I am using these two star players as examples.  Except that the perspectives in these conversations rarely end up being only about football.  They tend to get mixed up in convoluted conversations about political, cultural, economic differences which border on racism between regional oriented supporters.   Or at least assumptions of exceptionalism by way of geographical location and or claims at being more African than the other. 

In football, as any fan would know, racism and any other forms of discrimination are a big issue.  So much so that many leagues around the world are still taking the knee before the beginning of every match in having to remind fans of this. (Especially in global north leagues were racism remains  present and yet the majority of prominent leagues stars are black or people of colour.) 

And it is regrettable that "taking the knee" still needs to be done.  

But stories of enslavement of emigrating people in war torn Libya and human smuggling in the Mediterranean show us that away from the football stadiums there are some grim realities that we should never ignore.  And that the colour of one’s skin is still used to determine one’s eligibility to be considered human.  

Though less prevalent South of the Sahara, again notions of discrimination and hate speech are sometimes found in footballing conversations. All based on false accusations of ‘claims of superiority’ of the North of the Sahara. Such fan conversations ignore the simple fact of the historical ties that bind North, West, East, Southern African regions based on incredible acts of solidarity in struggles against colonialism and for human equality regardless of geographical location or proximity to the Middle East.  And how these acts in light of ongoing struggles for democracy, though not as prevalently reported in the media, still exist to present day.  

It is perhaps these narratives that Salah and Mane are challenging by default.  Not just because they are global superstars playing at the highest levels of the game.  But because they represent the fact that football is a game that can beautifully demonstrate our common humanity and talents. And in doing so it reaches out, based on its popularity, to younger generations to challenge disciminatory tendencies and enable each other to flourish regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, class or regional origins.  

It is a default combination of football, stardom and shared African identities and values that becomes progressive Pan Africanism.  One that sees the beautiful game for what it is despite competitive rivalry at the highest level. So even if they do not know it or acknowledge it directly, Salah and Mane are emerging symbols of this.

*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity (takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com) 

 

 

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