Every four years, when the FIFA World Cup takes centre stage, I traditionally support Africa’s participating teams regardless of nationality. Yet in the ongoing tournament, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, some African fans have withheld support for South Africa and Morocco. Their reasons range from resentment over xenophobic attacks in South Africa to perceptions that a controversial off-field decision unfairly deprived Senegal of a continental title in favour of Morocco. If such disputes can divide Africans in sport, what does that suggest about the larger project of African unity?
Football often mirrors broader social and political tensions because supporters bring their real-world grievances, loyalties, and perceptions of injustice into the sporting arena. Some European football fans, for example, are notorious for racist abuse directed at African players. Likewise, resentment over xenophobic attacks in South Africa has left emotional scars among Africans from other countries, a sentiment reflected in the ongoing FIFA tournament.
Similarly, some African fans withdrew support for Morocco after CAF’s Appeal Board awarded the continental title to Morocco despite Senegal’s 1–0 victory. Such grievances are real, but they should not be allowed to define relations among African peoples.
What is happening in South Africa cannot be blamed on its national football team. Rather, it reflects public frustration over social and economic insecurity, crime, poverty, declining public services, widening inequality, and ineffective border controls. African migrants have too often become the targets of these frustrations. Yet African unity depends on strong and cordial relationships among ordinary Africans, not merely on the inspiring communiqués issued after African Union summit meetings.
Refusing to support fellow African teams will not determine the success or failure of continental unity, but it may unintentionally weaken the spirit of solidarity on which that unity depends. Despite our differences, we must safeguard it.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that his government will crack down on groups responsible for xenophobic attacks as tensions continue to rise. This response may have come too late, but it is the right position to take. Xenophobic violence must be condemned consistently to avoid any perception of official tolerance. Governments must also promote social cohesion, economic inclusion and public awareness of the contributions made by migrants from other African countries. Failure to confront xenophobia risks undermining Africa’s integration agenda and delaying the aspirations embodied in Agenda 2063 for a united, prosperous and peaceful continent.
The reluctance of some Africans to support South Africa and Morocco in the ongoing FIFA tournament exposes the fragility of our unity. True Pan-Africanism demands the ability to rise above temporary grievances in pursuit of shared goals. Supporting African teams internationally is a small but meaningful expression of that commitment.
