Interrogating internal migration of elite Nigerian footballers

ABSTRACT

There is a growing body of academic studies on international migration of football labour. Most of the migrations occur as a result of economic disparities with footballers leaving poor economies, like Nigeria, in droves in search of better employment in the wealthy leagues. Although there is increasingly studies on internal or intra-national migration of footballers, few of them have addressed reasons why these footballers migrate. This study, using the unfolding theory of voluntary turnover, attempts to fill this gap. It investigates internal migrations of football labour in Nigeria in search of reasons for such migrations and also what drawbacks accompany such migrations. Information on such migrations may provide insights to the broader international migrations of football labour. The findings show six major reasons why players migrate and four drawbacks from migration.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Lanfranchi and Taylor, Moving with the Ball; Magee and Sugden, ‘The World at their Feet’; and Elliott and Harris, Football and Migration.

2. Bale, ‘Three Geographies of African Footballer Migration’ and Cleveland, Following the Ball.

3. Broere and van der Drift, Football Africa!

4. Darby, ‘The New Scramble for Africa.’

5. Onwumechili, Chukastats I: History, Records, and Statistics.

6. Poli, ‘Africans’ Status in the European.’

7. Botelho and Agergaard, ‘Moving for the Love.’

8. Esson, ‘Better off at home?’.

9. Agergaard and Ungruhe, ‘Ambivalent Precarity.’

10. Scott, African Footballers in Sweden.

11. Darby, Akindes and Kirwin, ‘Football Academies and the Migration.’

12. Weaver, ‘The Economics of African Soccer,’ para. 1.

13. Scherrens, ‘The Muscle Drain of African Football,’ 15.

14. Van der Meij and Darby, ‘Getting in the Game’ and Van der Meij and Darby, ‘No One Would Burden the Sea.’

15. Onwumechili and Akpan, ‘Nigeria: As Football Labour Scrambles.’

16. Adebayo, ‘Nigeria Overtakes India.’

17. CIES, ‘World Football Expatriates.’

18. Nielsen Sports, ‘Global Interest in Football.’

19. Onwumechili, Chukastats I.

20. Ibid.

21. Aiyejina, ’27 years after,’ The Punch, 24 December 2017.

22. Throughout this paper, we use the terms movement, transfer and migration to refer to slightly different practices. Movement refers to both transfer and/or migration. Transfer refers to change of employment from one club to another, whether the clubs are based in the same or different cities. Migration refers to a transfer that involves changing employment from a club in one city to a club in a distant city and it requires physical relocation of residence for the footballer.

23. Onwumechili, Chukastats I.

24. ‘LMC Boss Shehu Dikko Replies.’

25. Aiyejina, ‘We play on empty stomachs,’ December 31, 2017.

26. Ibid.

27. Oboh, ‘Nasarawa Untd,’ Daily Trust, February 17, 2015; Babalola, ‘El Kanemi Warriors sign,’ The Nation, February 12, 2016; and FootballNaija, ‘Kano Pillars signs 18.’

28. Aiyejina, ‘We play on empty stomachs,’ para 4.

29. Ugwu and Ugwu, ‘Beyond BIRGing and CORFing Tendencies’; Onwumnechili and Oloruntola, ‘Transnational Communications, Attitudes and Fan Identity’; and Onyebueke, ‘Globalization, Football and Emerging Urban ‘Tribes.’

30. Ugwu and Onyishi, ‘Perceived Biased Refereeing’; Onwumechili, ‘Nigerian Football: Interests, Marginalization’; and Madichie, ‘Re-Branding the Nigerian Professional Football League.’

31. Oboh, ‘Nasarawa Untd’ and Babalola, ‘El Kanemi Warriors sign.’

32. Lee and Mitchell, ‘The Unfolding Effects of Organizational.’

33. Ngoh-Henha, ‘A Review of Existing Turnover Intention Theories.’

34. Neiderman, Sumner and Maertz, ‘Testing and Extending the Unfolding Model.’

35. Currall, Towler, Judge and Kohn, ‘Pay Satisfaction and Organizational Outcomes.’

36. Mbah and Ikemefuna, ‘Job Satisfaction and Employees’ Turnover’ and Ibrahim, Hilman and Kaliappen, ‘Effect of Job Satisfaction on Turnover.’

37. Magee and Sugden, ‘The World at their Feet.’

38. Aiyejina, ‘We play on empty stomachs’ and Onwumechili, ‘Nigerian Football: Interests.’

39. Marchetti-Mercer, ‘Those Easily Forgotten: The Impact of Emigration’ and Onwumechili and Akpan, ‘Nigeria: As Football Labour Scrambles.’

40. Roderick, ‘An Unpaid Labor of Love’ and Roderick, ‘Domestic Moves: An Exploration’ and Onwumechili and Akpan, ‘Nigeria: As Football Labour Scrambles.’

41. Wilding, ‘Virtual’ Intimacies? Families Communicating.’

42. Marchetti-Mercer, ‘Those Easily Forgotten.’

43. Ibid.

44. Frey, Botan and Kreps, Investigating Communication: An Introduction, 100.

45. Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design and Litchman, Qualitative Research for the Social Sciences.

46. Litchman, Qualitative Research.

47. Ibid., 320.

48. The LMC is the League Management Company, which currently manages administrative affairs of the elite league in Nigeria.

49. Mbah and Ikemefuna, ‘Job Satisfaction and Employees’ Turnover.’

50. Ibid., 278.

51. Ibid.

52. Mbah and Ikemefuna, ‘Job Satisfaction and Employees’ Turnover’ and Tor and Owen, ‘Assessing Employee Turnover Intentions.’

53. Sturman, Shao and Katz, ‘The Effect of Culture.’

54. Hofstede, ‘Hofstede Insights: Nigeria.’

55. Sturman, Shao and Katz, ‘The Effect of Culture.’

56. Roderick, ‘An Unpaid Labor of Love’ and Roderick, ‘Domestic Moves.’

57. Poli, Ravenel and Besson, ‘The Importance of Squad Stability.’

58. Ibid.

59. Van der Meij and Darby, ‘No One Would Burden the Sea.’