The Super League conspiracy shocked the world of professional football. Six major English clubs ducked out, leaving different Italian and Spanish teams in a difficult situation.
The six teams to do this were Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham.
This was influenced by a massive backlash from fans, not to mention the potential for new government legislation to be brought in place that wouldn’t allow this.
Now, it appears this new league, which is considered something of a rival to the UEFA Champions League, is now unviable without the involvement of these six major clubs. These six clubs have experienced unrivalled popularity throughout the world, and African countries are no exception.
Now let us take a look at these English teams and how popular they are in Africa.
Chelsea, popular in West Africa
There have been many West Africans who have played for this team, which include Didier Drogba, Solomon Kalou, Samuel Eto’o, Victor Moses, Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi.
The key player out of these is Drogba, who has achieved a lot both on and off the pitch. Being a successful striker, he was responsible for the winning penalty back in 2012, allowing Chelsea to take home the Champions League title. The same year, he was also awarded the first African player’s feat to score 100 EPL goals.
When he’s not smashing it on the field, he is well known for his peace-building efforts on his native Ivory Coast, particularly after a conflict between 2010 and 2011. As a result of this, he started a foundation that promotes health and education in Africa.
Arsenal, popular in East Africa
Otherwise known as the ‘Invincibles’, they broke the record in the 03-04 season, ultimately winning the league. At one point, they didn’t lose one single match in an unbeaten game run.
The team has enjoyed various strong African players, including Nwankwo Kanu, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Lauren. However, it is believed the individual efforts from Kanu have allowed the team to become so popular in Nigeria.
Only one East African has ever played in the Premier League, Victor Wanyama, who played for Southampton and Kenya.
Manchester United, popular in South Africa
Considering they have won 13 titles since starting the league in 1992, they are now considered the most successful team in the entire history of the EPL. Quinton Fortune was one particular player who helped the team achieve success, once playing for the Red Devils.
He is now a strong brand ambassador for the team, with the team itself having its own Manchester United supporters club.
Arsenal is popular in North Africa
It is so popular that it is the club of choice for many North Africans. It is very popular in areas like Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Activities like ‘Be a Gunner, Be a Runner’ have only gone to make this North London Club even more popular.
Most popular in Nigeria
Chelsea May be Popular in West Africa, but which Team are We Betting on in Nigeria? It is Arsenal. Between the 2002 and 2003 season, they won the EPL title. They didn’t lose any other league matches, gaining something of an invincible status among fans.
They gained many fans in Nigeria for being the only team to finish the league season without actually losing a game. The club has experienced a decline since then and not considered being as good as other contenders. Nevertheless, you cannot deny they have won some impressive trophies, like the FA Cup.
Arsenal are lucky that Nigerian fans happen to be very loyal. Hopefully, this will help the team to achieve greatness once more, sometime in the future.
With this in mind, how likely are they to enter the Championships League this time around? Well, they won’t, put it that way. UK sports betting site 888 Sport only give Arsenal 176/1 odds of finishing in the top 6 and no chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Football in Africa
There is the potential for a continent-wide African super league that appears to be underway – fantastic news for Africa.
Currently, many domestic leagues are struggling to find investment and new talent. Besides, there is no doubt that African clubs would be stronger together. There is also the potential for clubs to compete in more European tournaments.
If this new league went ahead, there might be chances for clubs to embrace better TV deals, enabling them to invest in infrastructure.
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