African football awaits help from FIFA

The balloon has not been around at all in Africa since the start of the health crisis due to the coronavirus. Even in Burundi, the last country to continue allowing its championship to take place, football is now stopped, this time due to the presidential election. A general paralysis imposed with incalculable financial consequences.

Suffice to say that the latest announcement, Friday, May 24, of the International Football Federation (FIFA) did not go unnoticed on the continent: the body decided to take out the checkbook to help its 211 member federations . A breath of fresh air for the African federations, which are among the least silver in the world of football and some of which can only hold thanks to FIFA subsidies.

Very modest means

Concretely, the second half of the annual subsidy of € 920,000 will be paid two months earlier, in early May instead of July, as explained by Pierre-Alain Mounguengui, president of the Gabonese Football Federation (Fegafoot): "We will have to see with FIFA if part of the sum of 460,000 euros which will be released very soon can be used, on supporting documents of course, to help sectors particularly affected by the crisis. " FIFA has also announced that there will be a second subsidy, the amount of which has not yet been released.

In many African countries, the structurally fragile football economy is now on the brink of suffocation. In Gabon, professional football is massively funded by the state, which pays grants to clubs, which are then responsible for paying the salaries of players, technical and administrative staff. "But the state, which is already allocating money to deal with the health crisis, cannot do everything. Here many professional players have not received their salaries since the end of the competitions. Clubs are in trouble, football authorities are trying to help the most precarious players, the Fegafoot is trying to pay the salaries of its employees, but if the situation were to last, it would become complicated ", continues Pierre-Alain Mounguengui. The funds paid by FIFA should also make it possible to financially support women's football and young people, also affected by the health crisis.

In N’Djamena, Mahamoud Moctar, the chairman of the Chadian Football Federation (FTF) does not hide his relief from seeing several hundred thousand euros in the association's coffers. The body lives on an almost exclusive infusion from the state, which is one of the poorest in Africa. "Our federation has very modest means, he confirms. FIFA’s help is therefore very important to us at this time of crisis. "

The Chadian clubs, deprived of competition, have almost no financial income. The few sponsors, also facing the crisis, entered into a logic of savings. "Chadian football is not professional, but some players live almost only on this activity, recalls Mahamoud Moctar. The rest have jobs elsewhere, and earn a little money from football. However, clubs can hardly pay salaries to players and coaches. FIFA’s money will be used to help them, as well as the federation’s employees, almost all of whom are unemployed. "

Difficult medium term

The crisis spares no one, and neither do countries where football is said to be fairly well organized. If sub-Saharan Africa seems the most exposed, the medium term also looks difficult in the north of the continent.

Thus, in Morocco, several clubs are facing serious financial difficulties. Not to the point of threatening their lives, but enough to keep them from meeting all of their living expenses for the duration of the epidemic.

“We know that clubs, for lack of reserves and financial returns, are in dire straits. Today, it is still unclear how much FIFA’s emergency aid will cost, probably a few hundred thousand euros in total. But, if it can relieve some clubs, it will not be enough, said on condition of anonymity, a relative of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). The crisis must not last too long. After three or four months, it could really become very problematic… ”