Nigeria: as football labour scrambles, what about family?

Abstract

Several studies have emerged on migration of football labour. A large number of these studies followed the loosening of transfer rules after the landmark 1995 Jean-Marc Bosman court case. The studies, however, focus on polarization of talents and club wealth, wages and effects on minors and family. In essence, macro structural issues. However, the lack of attention to micro issues such as human agency and the ignoring of the more voluminous intra-national migration of football labour means that there is less understanding of micro issues pertaining to intra-national football migration. To address this problem, this article focuses on intra-national footballer migrations and their impact on family in Nigeria. Interview data are obtained in a study of 15 footballers drawn from seven clubs in the country’s elite league. Results provide insights, with some providing surprising data that differ remarkably from results of similar studies on intra-national football migration in Britain.