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At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Salwa Eid Naser won a silver medal representing Qatar in the women’s 400 meters. Surprisingly, Salwa’s victory stands out not just because of her athletic ability but the fact that she is a Nigerian by birth.

Born Ebelechukwu Antoinette Agbapuonwu in Onitsha, Nigeria, Ebelechukwu moved to Bahrain in 2014 and switched her athletic allegiance to the Gulf nation. She also converted to Islam and changed her name to Salwa Eid Naser.

Naser quickly rose to prominence in the track and field world, specializing in the 400 meters. Her decision to compete for Bahrain was driven by better opportunities and support for her athletic career, which she felt were lacking in Nigeria. 

These stories represent a growing trend among African athletes who, in their pursuit of better opportunities, switch national allegiances. While some achieve fame and fortune, others face tragic outcomes, including the loss of identity, career instability, and exploitation by systems that view them as mere commodities. 

Let’s explore the phenomenon of African sports mercenaries, the allure of foreign allegiances, the human cost of such decisions, the exploitation these athletes often endure, and the broader impact on African sports.

Foreign Seduction: All That Glitters

For many African athletes, the decision to represent a foreign country is driven by a combination of factors, primarily the lack of opportunities in their home countries. 

Many African nations suffer from inadequate sports infrastructure, limited financial support, and poor governance within sports federations. 

In contrast, countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia offer better facilities, financial incentives, and the chance to compete at the highest levels, making the allure of foreign contracts almost irresistible.

For many African athletes, the opportunity to play in European leagues offers a way out of poverty. Scouts and agents frequently visit African nations, promising young talents a bright future. 

However, these contracts often come with strings attached. Athletes are signed at a young age and sent to foreign countries where they face cultural, linguistic, and social challenges.

Many of these young athletes are unprepared for the realities of life abroad. They grapple with the pressure to perform, homesickness, and the isolation that comes with being in a foreign land. 

Moreover, not all contracts are lucrative; some athletes find themselves playing in lower-tier leagues under poor working conditions, far from the glamorous life they were promised.

State-sponsored mercenary pipelines

The United States has also played a role in converting African athletes into sports mercenaries, particularly in track and field events.  

Athletes like Annette Echikunwoke, a hammer thrower originally from Nigeria, who switched allegiance to the United States and won a silver medal in the hammer throw at the Paris 2024 Olympics, making history as the first American woman to win a medal in this event​.

Think about the success of these athletes and contrast it with the heartbreak of Favour Ofili, whose dreams of winning Olympic dreams were shattered by the incompetence of money-grubbing bureaucrats.

It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 meters at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for 4 years to earn this opportunity. For what? pic.twitter.com/eehuKziNaU

— Favour Ofili (@FavOfili) July 30, 2024

The situation in football is similar, with countries like France aggressively pursuing African players. The majority of France’s national team players are of African descent, some of whom struggled to break into their national teams or secure contracts with top European clubs. 

Players like Joel Embiid often switch allegiances to countries that offer them a better shot at winning major international tournaments like the Olympics, World Cup, or UEFA Champions League, offering them citizenship and substantial financial rewards.

The Human Cost

Switching nationalities can have a double-edged effect on athletes. While it may bring immediate benefits, it can also lead to a loss of cultural identity and community support, replaced by pressure to perform in a new country where they may still be seen as strangers.

The story of Stephen Cherono, now Saif Saaeed Shaheen, underscores the precariousness of this arrangement. Many African athletes who switch allegiances find themselves abandoned once they can no longer deliver the expected results.

The emotional toll of these experiences can be devastating. Many athletes suffer from a loss of identity, feeling trapped between two worlds. 

They are often treated as expendable assets rather than individuals with rich personal and cultural backgrounds. This stands in stark contrast to athletes who remain in their home countries and continue to benefit from community and national support.

Many of these countries see these athletes as short-term assets, valuable only as long as they can deliver results. This mentality is especially prevalent in athletics, where athletes are often fast-tracked to citizenship and expected to produce medals within a short timeframe.

I wouldn’t blame the countries for maintaining the same pipeline used for extracting resources from continents that don’t know how to exploit them.

The Impact on African Sports

When top athletes leave the continent, they take with them the potential to inspire future generations, contribute to national teams, and build a stronger sports infrastructure. This talent drain weakens national teams, which struggle to compete internationally without their best players.

Moreover, the trend of switching allegiances reinforces the perception that success in sports can only be achieved outside of Africa. This was the crux of the feud between South African UFC Champion Dricuss DuPlessis and Israel Adesanya, one of the Three Kings. 

We cannot disregard the impressive feat of winning UFC Gold while training in South Africa, but that doesn’t negate the chasm in infrastructural development that cannot be matched in the rest of the continent.

Young athletes, observing the success of those who leave, will aspire to follow in their footsteps rather than work to improve sports in their home countries. Even if they don’t, decrepit systems and institutional corruption will stifle their dreams in infancy. 

This creates a vicious cycle where the most talented individuals are continually drawn away, leaving a void that is difficult to fill.

The impact goes beyond individual sports. The loss of talent affects the entire sports ecosystem, from coaching and mentoring to the development of local leagues and competitions. 

When athletes who could have become role models or coaches choose to pursue careers abroad, it stifles the growth of sports at the grassroots level. The result is a continent that continues to lag behind in global sports despite its vast potential.

Reclaiming African Talent

 Addressing the tragic case of African sports mercenaries requires a multifaceted approach involving governments, sports federations, and international governing bodies. 

First and foremost, there must be a concerted effort to invest in sports infrastructure and development across Africa. This includes building better facilities, providing financial support to athletes, and ensuring that sports federations are well-governed, transparent, and free of corruption.

Governments must also work to create an environment where athletes can succeed without feeling the need to seek opportunities abroad. This includes offering competitive financial incentives, ensuring that athletes are recognized and celebrated for their achievements, and providing them with the support they need to succeed at the highest levels.

Furthermore, international sports governing bodies such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should implement stricter regulations on the transfer of athletes between countries. These regulations should ensure that nationality switches are based on genuine ties to the new country rather than purely financial or opportunistic motives. 

By doing so, they can help protect athletes from exploitation and ensure that decisions to change nationality are made for the right reasons.

Finally, there is a need for greater awareness and advocacy on this issue. Civil society organizations, sports journalists, and former athletes can play a crucial role in highlighting the challenges faced by African sports mercenaries and advocating for reforms that protect their rights. 

By bringing attention to the human cost of this phenomenon, they can help push for changes that benefit both the athletes and their home countries.