Nigeria: as football labour scrambles, what about family?

Abstract

Several studies have emerged on migration of football labour. A large number of these studies followed the loosening of transfer rules after the landmark 1995 Jean-Marc Bosman court case. The studies, however, focus on polarization of talents and club wealth, wages and effects on minors and family. In essence, macro structural issues. However, the lack of attention to micro issues such as human agency and the ignoring of the more voluminous intra-national migration of football labour means that there is less understanding of micro issues pertaining to intra-national football migration. To address this problem, this article focuses on intra-national footballer migrations and their impact on family in Nigeria. Interview data are obtained in a study of 15 footballers drawn from seven clubs in the country’s elite league. Results provide insights, with some providing surprising data that differ remarkably from results of similar studies on intra-national football migration in Britain.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 By transfer we refer to a footballer whose services are transferred from one club to another through one of the following means: the destination club paying an agreed fee to the player’s previous club if the player is contracted or the player agreeing terms with a destination club if his contract with a previous club has expired. This transfer may be between clubs in the same location, meaning the player does not need to relocate.

2 Migration, which can be intra-national or international, refers to re-locating from one place to another with intention to settle permanently or temporarily. This involves physical change of residence. International migration involves moving across national borders. Intra-national migration is re-locating within national borders.

3 A team camp provides living quarters for multiple residents who live and sleep, usually in bunks, in close proximity to each other. Flats are apartments that provide privacy for 2–3 footballers who live together.

4 An intermediary is defined as a natural or legal person who acts, directly or indirectly, on behalf of a player or club in relation to a football transaction. This individual must be registered with a relevant national federation (Lowen 2015).

5 Maidugri is in the North East of Nigeria where the terror group Boko Haram has carried out frequent and incessant violent attacks.