African Footballers in Europe: Migration, Community, and Give Back Behaviours

African Footballers in Europe traces the social and economic evolution of African football and examines the strategies and resources that players mobilise in their migrations, with a particular focus on ’Give Back Behaviours’ (how players contribute to their countries or communities of origin). It shines new light on contemporary migrations, labour markets in sport, and processes of development in Africa.

Using a multidisciplinary approach and Weberian methodology to analyse players’ ’Give Back’ behaviour, the book highlights the complex rationale behind this behaviour, based on a combination of social, cultural, and economic elements. It features interviews with former and current African professional players, providing a vivid picture of the role of communities in players’ migration projects, the allure of the European football market, and investment initiatives that can contribute to local and regional development.

This is a vital read for academics, researchers, and students of sport sciences, sociology of sport, sport management, sociology, geography, political sciences, management, sociology of Africa, migration studies, sociology of the labour market, and economic sociology. It is also an important resource for professional organisations, NGOs, football agents, football administrators, federations, confederations, and governments.

Ernest Yeboah Acheampong (PhD) is Lecturer in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sports at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, and Associate Researcher in the Laboratory of Sport and Social Environment at Université Grenoble Alpes, France. His research interests are in African football, footballers’ migration and mobility, football coaching, youth football and education, sport for development, and the giving back phenomenon.

Malek Bouhaouala is Associate Professor in the Socioeconomics of Sport at Université Grenoble Alpes, France. He coordinates a research programme on ecosystem innovation in the mountain sports industry and is President of the think tank University and Enterprise Alliance of Grenoble (AUEG). His research interests are sport and tourism, leisure and society, mountain sports, entrepreneurs, sport consumers, and the giving back phenomenon.

Michel Raspaud is Professor of Sport Sociology at Université Grenoble Alpes, France. His research focuses mainly on sociology and history of mountaineering, high altitude adventure tourism, and international football (Africa, Brazil, Romania).