African Cup of Nations: The Slept On Giant...
The African Cup of Nation is a slept on giant and brands, broadcasters and football clubs are missing out on a huge opportunity by not tapping into its huge market reach.
Happy new week,
The African Cup Of Nations (AFCON) starts this weekend and unlike every other international tournament, there’s a huge lack of coverage and buzz around the tournament. AFCON is a prestigious tournament with a rich history and incredible talent. AFCON is made up of 24 African Nations competing to be the best footballing country on the continent.
It could be argued that AFCON doesn’t get the recognition it deserves on the international football stage despite its extensive impact. Due to AFCON being in the middle of the season there’s always issues between Premier League players playing for their home country as some squads are deeply affected. Players such as Emmanuel Dennis and Ismail Sarr faced issues playing for their home countries during the 2021 AFCON. Many believe that these issues between African federations and clubs are due to clubs attitudes towards the tournament. Ajax striker Sébastien Haller was asked whether he would be joining up with Ivory Coast or staying with his club, and reacted angrily saying “This question shows disrespect for Africa, would this question ever be asked to a European player ahead of the Euros?”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright, believes that the lack of media coverage, and the Premier League’s and the clubs’ attitudes towards AFCON is “embedded with racism”. This view has also been reinforced by Crystal Palace manager, Patrick Viera, who tried to emphasise the value of AFCON in an interview stating that AFCON needs to be more respected because it is “as important as the European Championships”.
Brands are missing out on a huge opportunity by not leveraging AFCON as a moment to engage with an international audience. This is a huge opportunity to market to African fans in the continent and in the diaspora during the tournament. The average attendance in the 2019 edition of AFCON was 18,136 per match and brought together football fans from across the continent. As well as this, AFCON’s global viewership has been on the rise, thanks to the international status of African players. When stars like Mané and Salah play, they bring along a global fan base, further elevating the status of the tournament and bringing more eyes to brands.
There is a great lucrative opportunity for sponsors; In 2016, the petrol company, Total, signed an eight-year primary sponsorship deal estimated to be worth around $250million for the naming rights of the tournament. As part of the package deal Total is supporting 10 Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions, including the Women’s and Youth AFCON tournaments. Orange Mobile, Yamaha and Visa are also secondary sponsors, supporting and boosting the revenue generated by AFCON. Sponsorship deals bring huge global exposure especially for companies looking to expand their market reach beyond certain borders. With this sponsorship money benefiting African football, this helps create a positive brand image enhancing your reputation among consumers.
AFCON is not just a showcase of African’s football talent; there’s a huge economic benefit too, especially in the host country. This is why the rights to host AFCON are so sought after and campaigned for. Egypt managed to generate an estimated revenue of $83million hosting the 2019 AFCON, previous host nations Equatorial Guinea and Gabon generated similar revenue as the host nations in 2015 and 2017. This allows the countries to invest into their football infrastructure before and after the tournament.
Up until last week, there was no confirmed international broadcaster for the AFCON matches. Fans were left uncertain for a while on how they were going to watch their favourite players or their home teams in action. I believe that this uncertainty and delay on a confirmed broadcaster has led to a lack of international sponsors. If matches are not broadcasted in specific regions, sponsors may not reach their intended target audience, which makes sponsoring the tournament counterproductive. Sky Sports has now confirmed they will be able to show every AFCON fixture with the BBC also securing rights to show 10 games in the tournament.
The African Cup of Nations is a sleeping giant and brands, broadcasters and football clubs are missing out on a huge opportunity here. Africa as a continent is highly influential when it comes to music, sport and culture. It is a continent with several countries considered as emerging markets with growing economies. Brands who make an early investment in these markets will get a huge return on investment in the coming future.