Most teams in the English Premier League have one or more African players. The notable exception to this trend is Manchester United. Unfortunately, this is not by accident. Rather it is by design. Sir Alex, who calls the shots at Man U has made it clear that he does not want to sign African players. His reason being that he cannot afford to lose them during the African Cup of Nations.

Well Sir Alex, losing one or two African players for one month every two years will not kill your team. Chelsea still won the EPL last season despite losing Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Mikel during the Cup of Nations in Angola.

Knowing this fact, it is surprising to see the level of support Man U enjoys on NL and in Nigeria in general. Next time you’re looking for an EPL team to support, please look for one that at least employs Nigerian or African players. There are plenty to choose from.

Here are some EPL teams with their African players:

Chelsea – Drogba, Kalou, Essien, Mikel
Arsenal – Alex Song, Emmanuel Eboue
Manchester City – Kolo Toure, Yaya Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor
Newcastle – Shola Ameobi
Tottenham – Assou-Ekottu
Sunderland – Nedum Onuoha
West Brom - Osaze
Everton – Yakubu, Victor Anichebe
Fulham – Dickson Etuhu
Aston Villa – Gabriel Agbonlahor
Blackburn – Benjani, El-Hadji Diouf, Mame Diouf, Samba
Stoke City - Mamady Sidibe, Salif Diao
Wigan – Gohouri,
Wolverhampton – George Elokobi
West Ham – Nsofor, Ilunga

Source: BBCnews.com

I forgot to add that Sunderland also has Asamoah Gyan. I was about to write a diary titled "Is Gyan Worth 30 Million Pounds?". But from his performance against Tottenham yesterday, the answer in my opinion is "maybe".

For the record, he scored Sunderland's equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Tottenham.

Your call violates Individuals right of Association.

Let me support whoever I want.

YNWA.

I don't think my call violates anybody's right of association since I am not compelling anybody to do anything. My point is that Nigeria and other African countries have nothing to gain financially for their fervent support for Man U.

All the African players I mentioned above earn a lot of money from their respective teams. A substantial percentage of that money is invariably brought back to Africa in the form of houses, investments, cars and financial assistance to relatives. You may say the money does not benefit you but if you are from the same village as any of those players, you have benefitted indirectly from their money.

And after writing all this,what exactly is your point?
What d o you get financially for supporting Arsenal or Chelsea or any of the above-listed clubs with African players?
What manner of investments aside from Samuel Eto' o, have these greedy and self-serving players done for their villages,especially the Nigerian ones?
Your short-sightedness is alarming at this stage of your life.
Football is entertainment,and anybody should support any team he or she feels like.For you to base your argument on a silly reason such as how much "money" comes back to Africa is childish at the very best.I'm yet to see what manner of "substantial" investment that has been made by these players because from where I stand,Africa is still under-developed.
You talk like your brain cells are not active or you are just a newbie.Do an extensive search of the following players and tell me if United have never signed African players in the past:Djemba-Djemba (Cameroun), Manucho (Angola), Quinton Fortune(South Africa).
And have you forgotten that United signed Mikel Obi.I think you've forgotten the saga,or you are a new-comer to Football and Nairaland.
Furthermore,contrary to your stunted belief,you are violating people's right of association.Like I said,anybody is entitled to suppor any club for any reason under the sun.
You should endeavour to be broad-minded before posting your regular rubbish.

What d o you get financially for supporting Arsenal or Chelsea or any of the above-listed clubs with African players?

It seems you are intentionally misunderstanding my point. I have not gained anything financially from any Nigerian or African player in Europe. But I know hundreds of others must have. For instance, I'm sure players like Kanu, Mikel, Osaze etc have mansions in their respective villages. Do you know how many Nigerians benefitted from building such mansions. Even if they hired foreign architectural firms, the brick layers, window makers, roof makers, cement mixers and a majority of the workers are sure to be Nigerians. And you don't think that is benefitting Nigerians.

It appears you don't find anything wrong with Sir Alex Fergusson, the coach of Manchester United saying as recently as last year that he will not sign African players? That is the crust of my arguement. I will like you to address that.

Hi_Tek:

It appears you don't find anything wrong with Sir Alex Fergusson, the coach of Manchester United saying as recently as last year that he will not sign African players? That is the crust of my arguement. I will like you to address that.

And If Ferguson says no,did you bother to find out why?
I gave you instances of African players signed by Ferguson in the past.Is that an indication of someone who didn't give African players a chance to prove themselves,much unlike the way you want to paint him as anti-African?And if he feels the absence of African players will damage his team's chances,is that not enough reason for his reluctance to sign African players?When you coach your own team,sign whoever you like for whatever reason you want.The only things that club owners want is result.How the managers do that shouldn't be your business.
You raised an issue of Chelsea winning the league last season.But in 2008,an AFCON year,Chelsea felt the effects of a player excodus.They won nothing,and their African players were burnt out by the end of the season.I'm sorry,you don't remember,you're new to football.

Hi_Tek:

It seems you are intentionally misunderstanding my point. I have not gained anything financially from any Nigerian or African player in Europe. But I know hundreds of others must have. For instance, I'm sure players like Kanu, Mikel, Osaze etc have mansions in their respective villages. Do you know how many Nigerians benefitted from building such mansions. Even if they hired foreign architectural firms, the brick layers, window makers, roof makers, cement mixers and a majority of the workers are sure to be Nigerians. And you don't think that is benefitting Nigerians.

This is really hilarious.
So because X built a mansion in his village,Chelsea or whatever club he plays for is good to his village,State and country?Pray tell me how many people out of 150 million people  have benefited from all our players overseas apart from their usually vain display of their newly-found wealth.
Also tell me what manner of tangible investments that these so-called players have brought to Africa that has made it still as poor as it is today.
Architectural firms,brick-layers my foot.The same people who still wallow in poverty after helping to build Mikel's house.It's because Africa is so poor,that's why because governments have abdicated in terms of their responsibility,you falsely think these players plying their trade abroad are now heroes for building a mansion in their village.

Are you a comedian?This has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've read EVER.

With all your insults, it's apparent that you are looking for a cyber fight but I don't have time for that. Let me say this again, every team in the EPL that has high quality African players loses such players for about a month during the Cup of Nations. The exodus as you called it affects every team not just Manchester United. So for Sir Alex to use that as an excuse not to sign African players is not acceptable.

Again Chelsea lost 4 star players during last year's Cup of Nations and still won the EPL. If you must know, I am absolutely not new to football. The earliest remarkable match I remember watching was Rangers vs Mehala of Egypt in the mid 70s. For the record, Rangers lost 1 - 3 in Egypt and won 3 - 0 in Enugu. The match was so remarkable that afterwards a new hair style for women was named "Up Rangers, Down Mehala". If you were of age in the 70s, you must remember it.

Dude,
Grow up.I don't stand to gain anything by fighting you online.
Take your Rangers mentality and go somewhere where else.
Sir Alex does not use the exodus as an excuse.Get that clear.He owes you no explanation on why he doesn't sign African players.So stop commenting like you deserve to have a say in that.It's his club,not yours.He can sign whomever he wants.
When he pursued Mikel Obi,did you say anything?When he signed other Africans at different times of his tenure,where were you?
I noticed you've dodged the above questions.Instead you're talking about "investments" like the players are supposed to make Africa richer,instead of the various governments and as such if United don't sign an African,therefore they are anti-Africa.

Stop exhibiting your ignorance on a public forum and end this your childish campaign,Mr. Mehala.

Man Utd pursued Mikel Obi in 2005. Sir Alex publicly said he won't sign African players in 2009. Obviously what he said in 2009 overrides whatever he did or tried to do in 2005. Apparently, you are a die-hard Man U fan and that has clouded your sense of rational thought. I must add that I am not a Man U fan but any Manager that makes a similar statement will receive the same response from me.

It is quite unfortunate for you to come here and defend a Manager that has made it clear that he has no use for your kith and kin. People like you will support a cause against their own self interest. It's just like a poor person in America voting for the Republican Party. Are you aware that if you happen to be the best player in the world, you will never play for Man U under the current dispensation?

P.S: The fact that you decided to make light of the epic Rangers/Mehala match tells me you must be relatively new to football or do not care about football history.

@Starboard

While I don't necessarily support this chap's sentiment, he really is entitled to his opinion just as the British media and people who should be wiser continually spread lies about Arsene only buying french players when it is clearly an untruth.

Hi_Tek:

Most teams in the English Premier League have one or more African players. The notable exception to this trend is Manchester United. Unfortunately, this is not by accident. Rather it is by design. Sir Alex, who calls the shots at Man U has made it clear that he does not want to sign African players. His reason being that he cannot afford to lose them during the African Cup of Nations.

Well Sir Alex, losing one or two African players for one month every two years will not kill your team. Chelsea still won the EPL last season despite losing Drogba, Kalou, Essien and Mikel during the Cup of Nations in Angola.

Knowing this fact, it is surprising to see the level of support Man U enjoys on NL and in Nigeria in general. Next time you’re looking for an EPL team to support, please look for one that at least employs Nigerian or African players. There are plenty to choose from.

Here are some EPL teams with their African players:

Chelsea – Drogba, Kalou, Essien, Mikel
Arsenal – Alex Song, Emmanuel Eboue
Manchester City – Kolo Toure, Yaya Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor
Newcastle – Shola Ameobi
Tottenham – Assou-Ekottu
Sunderland – Nedum Onuoha
West Brom - Osaze
Everton – Yakubu, Victor Anichebe
Fulham – Dickson Etuhu
Aston Villa – Gabriel Agbonlahor
Blackburn – Benjani, El-Hadji Diouf, Mame Diouf, Samba
Stoke City - Mamady Sidibe, Salif Diao
Wigan – Gohouri,
Wolverhampton – George Elokobi
West Ham – Nsofor, Ilunga

Source: BBCnews.com

to be ignorant is worse than living with aids. . . . .

what saf's man utd have done for charity organizations in africa outweighs the wages other premier league clubs pay their players. sir alex will sign whichever player that will improve his team. maybe this is why he is the most successful british manager on the planet and the other managers are failing in their duties. besides that, he consistently takes his squad to africa for pre-season games so africans can see their beloved players live - something the likes of wenger and others have never done before. if he hates africans like you are claiming here, he wouldn't take man utd to abuja  to play pompey after few hours they left south africa in 2008.

Sir Alex said in 2009 he wouldn't sign an African player according to Hi_Tek . . . but then he signed Mame Diouf in Jan 2010


Mr Hi_Tek, since your logic is for me to support teams with African players . . . I'll ask you one question only.

When these 'african players' move to another club, I should change the team I support right?

YES or No please?

People, this is not my opinion. I'm stating a material fact. It is not hearsay. Sir Alex himself said he will not sign African players because he can't afford to lose them during the Cup of Nations. Let us stay on topic. I understand that the effect of that statement is less poignant because he said "African Players". If he had said "Nigerian Players", then more people will understand the gravity.

chamotex:

Sir Alex said in 2009 he wouldn't sign an African player according to Hi_Tek . . . but then he signed Mame Diouf in Jan 2010


Mr Hi_Tek, since your logic is for me to support teams with African players . . . I'll ask you one question only.

When these 'african players' move to another club, I should change the team I support right?

YES or No please?

Mame Diouf plays for Blackburn not Man Utd. If you watch Blackburn play, you will hear the commentators say over and over that Mame Diouf and El-Hadji Diouf are not related.

Hi_Tek:

People, this is not my opinion. I'm stating a material fact. It is not hearsay. Sir Alex himself said he will not sign African players because he can't afford to lose them during the Cup of Nations. Let us stay on topic. I understand that the effect of that statement is less poignant because he said "African Players". If he had said "Nigerian Players", then more people will understand the gravity.

Did he or didn't he sign Diouf?

And you stull haven't answered my question.

Hi_Tek:

Mame Diouf plays for Blackburn not Man Utd.

Which team is his parent club? Or you didnt realise he is on loan at Blackburn

Hi_Tek:

If you watch Blackburn play, you will hear the commentators say over and over that Mame Diouf and El-Hadji Diouf are not related.

Okay at this point I think I need to rest my case cos it seems you dont have any sort of football knowledge to have a debate with.
What's their relation got to do with anything here

Hi_Tek:

Mame Diouf plays for Blackburn not Man Utd. If you watch Blackburn play, you will hear the commentators say over and over that Mame Diouf and El-Hadji Diouf are not related.

and who loaned mame diouf to blackburn? it seems you don't even know what you are talking about. you should try other activities like blending pepper instead of polluting this place with your lack of knowledge in football matters.

Dis guy is just writin trash i u guys shld stop respondin 2 him

Do you have any evidence of SAF saying he wouldnt sign African players?

Im sure i havent heard this except his comment about knowing you will lose them in January but Im sure he has never said he would not sign African players for this reason or any other reason.

Mr_TA:

Do you have any evidence of SAF saying he wouldnt sign African players?

Im sure i havent heard this except his comment about knowing you will lose them in January but Im sure he has never said he would not sign African players for this reason or any other reason.

Dont bother yourself.
For someone that doesn't know Mame Diouf is a Utd player on loan at Blackburn . . . you are wasting your time.

@ Chamotex,

You were trying to be clever by saying that Sir Alex signed Mame Diouf without revealing that Diouf actually plays for Blackburn. Anybody can tell you that Mame Diouf plays for Blackburn but I made a note of letting you know that the two Dioufs in Blackburn are not related to let you know that I actually watch them.

Hi_Tek:

@ Chamotex,

You were trying to be clever by saying that Sir Alex signed Mame Diouf without revealing that Diouf actually plays for Blackburn. Anybody can tell you that Mame Diouf plays for Blackburn but I made a note of letting you know that the two Dioufs in Blackburn are not related to let you know that I actually watch them.

this is hilarious. all these half-baked football fans in iyana-ipaja sef.

Hi_Tek:

@ Chamotex,

You were trying to be clever by saying that Sir Alex signed Mame Diouf without revealing that Diouf actually plays for Blackburn. Anybody can tell you that Mame Diouf plays for Blackburn but I made a note of letting you know that the two Dioufs in Blackburn are not related to let you know that I actually watch them.

Okay I rest my case.

chamotex:



Okay I rest my case.

i am sure this dude thinks sunderland owns welbeck and wigan owns tom cleverley.

Cougar:

i am sure this dude thinks sunderland owns welbeck and wigan owns tom cleverley.

Since he made this statement, I knew something wasn't right.

Hi_Tek:

If you watch Blackburn play, you will hear the commentators say over and over that Mame Diouf and El-Hadji Diouf are not related.

Who said they were related and what was the relevance of that statement to the topic at hand?

There are about 30 African players currently in the EPL. None of them plays for Man U. I have tried to explain why that is the case. Unfortunately, the Man U fans here will have none of it. They will rather attack the messenger instead of the message.

As long as we don't call out Sir Alex on his bone-headed decision, it will be long time before you see another African play for Man U. In the meantime, go ahead and keep spending your money on Man U gear.

Hi_Tek:

There are about 30 African players currently in the EPL. None of them plays for Man U. I have tried to explain why that is the case. Unfortunately, the Man U fans here will have none of it. They will rather attack the messenger instead of the message.

african players can roast in hell for all i care. i support the club, i don't support the africans playing there. players will move on, the club shall remain.
if you support a club because of the number of negroes they have in there then your understanding of football is a disgrace.

As long as we don't call out Sir Alex on his bone-headed decision, it will be long time before you see another African play for Man U. In the meantime, go ahead and keep spending your money on Man U gear.

why are you calling sir alex out here? go to bbc and skysports with at least 40 able-bodied men. y'all should do your protest in nudity then match to the westminster to call out sir alex's bone-headed decision. i am sure it will work to great effects and you will start seeing mercy akide, perpetual nwokocha and sani kaita playing for man utd.

Everybody claims they support the club not the players. But once the club starts performing badly or is relegated, they all jump ship. I'm sure Portsmouth, Leeds, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers etc all had supporters when they were in the EPL. Now nobody wants to be identified with them.

@ Chamotex,

Now I know why Sir Alex signed Mame Diouf. Please read the paragraph below from BBCnews.com:

The forward (Mame Diouf) has made one appearance for the senior Senegal national side, and is at United's disposal next month because his country did not qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8428869.stm

You see, Sir Alex signed him because he knew Senegal will not be going to the 2010 Cup of Nations. This all proves my point. There is truly a method to his madness.

Hi_Tek:

@ Chamotex,

Now I know why Sir Alex signed Mame Diouf. Please read the paragraph below from BBCnews.com:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/8428869.stm

You see, Sir Alex signed him because he knew Senegal will not be going to the 2010 Cup of Nations. This all proves my point. There is truly a method to his madness.

I'm sorry but It seems like you cant comprehend simple English.
The quote was not from Fergie.

"and is at United's disposal next month because his country did not qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. "

He is at United's disposal - meaning he is available for selection since Senegal didn't qualify for the ACN.


And if Senegal wont play in 2010, what about 2012? Or has Fergie assumed they wont qualify as well.
I thought Fergie doesn't want to lose any player to the ACN? So why would he sign any in the first place?

@ Chamotex,

This is all in line with what I have been saying. Sir Alex said he doesn't want to sign African players because of the Cup of Nations. The reverse of that statement is that he will sign African players without the Cup of Nations. The fact that Senegal didn't qualify for the 2010 Cup of Nations may have informed his decision to sign Diouf.

This is now a mute point. CAF has essentially given in to pressure from people like Sir Alex and agreed to modify the schedule of the Cup of Nations. If I'm not mistaken, in the near future, it will be held in odd numbered years to avoid clashing with the world cup. I don't know if that will satisfy Sir Alex.

Hi_Tek:

@ Chamotex,

This is all in line with what I have been saying. Sir Alex said he doesn't want to sign African players because of the Cup of Nations. The reverse of that statement is that he will sign African players without the Cup of Nations. T[b]he fact that Senegal didn't qualify for the 2010 Cup of Nations may have informed his decision to sign Diouf.[/b]

This is now a mute point. CAF has essentially given in to pressure from people like Sir Alex and agreed to modify the schedule of the Cup of Nations. If I'm not mistaken, in the near future, it will be held in odd numbered years to avoid clashing with the world cup. I don't know if that will satisfy Sir Alex.

Diuof had been signed way before the ACN . . . he only got his work permit in that January period or just before.
The fact that Senegal didn't qualify for the 2010 Cup of Nations doesn't mean they will never qualify again for another one so what is your point?
Fergie will sell him then right?