How does professional football status challenge African players’ behaviour?

Abstract

ABSTRACTFootball has become a lucrative business with its global viewership attracting many African players to move to leagues abroad. This paper explores the sociological approaches of Weber and Granovetter to understand the behaviour change in attitudes of African players after achieving professional football status abroad. It does so by analysing ‘before and after’ migration to Europe which is often ascribed to professional players’ social upward mobility. The paper employs a qualitative approach with structured interviews and autobiographies of some players. The literature draws from social behaviour change and football migration and mobility concepts. Findings indicate that football has a way of changing African players’ behaviour and makes others become a ‘different human being’. However, their behaviours should rather translate into doing good things for society than assuming noxious stimuli.