Obviously, football, also known as soccer, is the most popular team sport on the continent. Out of the 54 countries in Africa, it is only in South Africa that other team sports like cricket and rugby attract a fan base as large as that of football. Since football was introduced to the continent by Europeans over 100 years ago, the love for the game has never weaned.
This is a brief overview of the popularity of football containing a brief history of the sport in Africa. Read on to discover why and how its fame has grown so rapidly.
History of Football in Africa
The early days of football in Africa came during the colonial era. European colonialists from France, Britain, and Portugal “imported” their love for football to their African colonies.
Formal recording of football matches started in South Africa in 1862. The historic game was a match between public servants and soldiers.
Subsequently, mission schools, railway workers, and the armed forces formed teams and played formal matches. The love for football continued to grow long after the colonialists left the continent.
After many African countries started forming national teams and gaining independence, a few countries came together to form the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1957. That was the same year that the first African Cup of Nations tournament took place in Egypt.
Unlike other continents, the African Cup of Nations comes up every two years, just to show how popular the tournament is. African teams from Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal are highly rated in this competition.
As African nations gained independence, they joined FIFA. From 1962, these nations started participating in qualifying rounds for the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic games. From just one nation representing Africa at the 1970 World Cup, the continent now enjoys 5 places at the tournament.
Today, Africans have moved beyond playing and watching to predicting and speculating about the continent’s favorite team sport. Weekly, many fans analyze and bet on reputable betting websites like Bet365, expecting to earn profits from their beloved sport.
What Makes Football Extremely Popular in African Countries?
Many factors make football a famous sport among Africans. The game is easy to set up on an informal pitch. Kids can choose any open space, set up two goal posts with sticks, get a ball and start a football match. The rules of the game are also simple to learn and remember.
Football is entertaining and exciting to watch. Young talented players can display an immense amount of ball-joggling skills to the amazement of onlookers.
In many neighborhoods, in African countries, kids easily turn streets and open spaces into football fields. In these nations, virtually all the public schools and mission schools have standard-sized football pitches.
Also, with the debut of television in Africa in 1957 in Western Nigeria, Africans started sitting in the comfort of their homes to watch local and foreign matches. With ever-increasing access to television across Africa, the spread of satellite TV, and broadband internet access, many Africans are now virtually addicted to football.
Today, many football fans can follow their favorite teams, players, and tournaments closely with their smartphones. They can even watch live matches taking place in any part of the world.
What’s the Link Between Sports Betting and Popularity of Football
As football became popular during the colonial era, sports betting also came on stream. In British colonies like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, pool betting shops emerged in the early 1900s.
A bookmaker makes betting sheets and asks bettors to predict the games that will result in a draw that week. At that time, most players placed their bets on matches in the English football league, at local betting shops.
Over the years, betting in populous African nations like South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya has grown into a multi-million dollar industry. In Nigeria, fans spend up to $15 on betting daily. Fueled by growth in mobile telephony and internet access, sports betting is now a passionate activity for many football fans on the continent.
Unlike traditional pool betting, reputable online betting companies attract new customers with exciting promotions. They pay a substantial bonus to a new customer’s account after the initial deposit.
In addition, they provide enticing odds to encourage bettors to take more risks and get a huge payout for placing a winning bet.
A reliable betting site will also offer a number of options to make betting more convenient for customers. In most cases, players can bet from their mobile phones, use a web browser, or bet at a local shop.
Football will continue to be the number one sport for Africans for decades to come. It has become a part of the African culture from childhood and now it offers fans monetary rewards through betting.
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