‘You, me, we’: shared identities of African professional footballers’ diaspora in Thailand

Abstract

ABSTRACT African footballers comprise a significant group of sport migrants, who face structural challenges set-forth by specific visa requirements which have made entry into Thailand more challenging. Using data collected through in-depth interviews with five African players who have lived, played, and settled down in Thailand for over a decade, the article explores the acculturation journeys of African football players in Thailand and investigates how forms of identities are created and upheld. The paper concludes that various coping strategies are consistently deployed by the players in their attempt to integrate into Thai society. Additionally, emotional attachments to homelands are expressed and heightened during events such as the World Cup. Findings suggest that among the diasporic community, identities are multi-layered, inclusive of local, regional, national and global attachments which are unveiled and more sharply defined when the individual is ‘confronted with “outsiders”’.