The Theory of Evolution: how AFCON success has transformed Angola and DRC

How the DRC and Angola's overperformance at the AFCON is propelling future success and recruitment.

For nearly every African country from the most successful down to those sides slogging it out in the preliminary AFCON qualification rounds there is one question that often defines the success of the country, use local or foreign born players?

Do nations build squads from players built from their local leagues or players from the home nation? Or do they spend all their energy trying to poach players from the diaspora in European nations that have generally had access to far higher levels of academies, training and leagues?

Some nations have done it well. Morocco have had an entire department set up over the last decade committed to identifying Moroccan talent in Europe, approaching their families from a young age and trying to bring them in as early as possible to the Atlas Lions. No wonder players like Achraf Hakimi choose to represent their motherland rather than the place of their birth. It’s also why Spain capped Lamine Yamal when he was only 16 years old, because Morocco had for years been trying to convince him to cross the Mediterranean.

For every Morocco there is a Cameroon, who reportedly told Kylian Mbappe’s family that they would have to cover all the legal and administrative costs of acquiring a Cameroonian passport in order to represent the Indomitable Lions, something that no doubt contributed to his decision to represent France.

More recently, Tanzania are the cautionary tale. On the verge of most recent AFCON, the Taifa Stars called up a handful of English Tanzanians playing in the fifth and sixth tiers of English football. Fans were particularly dismayed by this because it came at a time when the Tanzanian Premier League was at its strongest. Needless to say, the East Africans crashed out of the group stage and none of the English born players were called up for the most recent international break.

Other nations like Equatorial Guinea have gone the opposite direction. Of the squad that topped a group with Nigeria and hosts Côte d'Ivoire (whom they thrashed 4-1), only one played their domestic football in the central African nation, seven were born in the country, most of whom like star goal keeper Jesús Owono, moved to Spain at a young age.

Often the biggest deterrents for European-born players representing their motherlands is the fear of a lack of professionalism which can at best, harm a player’s relationship with their home nation. Alex Iwobi, one of Nigeria’s best players in the last decade and nephew of legend Jay-Jay Okocha has regularly spoken about how much abuse he receives by Nigerian fans in part because he is English-born.

At the worst, the lack of professionalism and infrastructure can lead to injuries that impact the club careers of footballers. Youssouf M'Changama, the Comoros star player who led them to the AFCON in 2021, when speaking to On The Whistle, outlined how difficult it was to recruit French-born Comorians like himself to play for the national team because players were nervous about the long travelling (often two days’ worth of flights and layovers are needed to reach the archipelago) and the poor pitches that could lead to injuries that for second division French players, could be career ending.

A Central African revolution

For all the importance of things like standards and good infrastructure, nothing will attract footballers more than straight forward success. Success may look different for different nations. Morocco’s World Cup semi-final appearance has led to them securing the services of players like Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, whereas Comoros’ round of 16 appearance at the AFCON has lead to players like Lyon’s young prospect Warmed Omari committing to play for Les Coelacantes.

Perhaps the best examples of this though come not from East or North Africa, but rather from the heart of Africa in Congo.

When Sébastien Desabre left the second division of France to take over the Leopards, they were at a particularly low ebb. Having lost their first two AFCON qualifiers to Sudan and Gabon the team looked set, shockingly, to miss a second successive Nations Cup. Instead, the team won their next four games (albeit with the help of Mauritania accidentally fielding an ineligible player and forfeiting their match), topped the group and made their return to the continental stage.

“It was a surprise to qualify for the AFCON,” he laughs remembering the qualification process. “But after we said maybe it’s possible to go far because we input a good spirit in the team.”

And far they went. Powered by a talented front line including the likes of Brentford’s Yoanne Wissa, former Chelsea prodigy Gael Kakuta and the “Congolese Messi” Theo Bongonda, Desabre’s side reached the semi-finals, only being knocked out by hosts and eventual champions Cote d’Ivoire.

Since the AFCON, the team has gone from strength to strength. They earned a credible draw away in Senegal in World Cup Qualifying and won their first two AFCON qualifiers. But perhaps the even greater win has been the half dozen European-born youngsters who have made their debuts including former Manchester United starlet Axel Tuanzebe. For a country the size of DRC and with the diaspora in Europe that it possesses, being able to attract not simply over the hill players, but exciting youngsters like Noah Sadiki from Union SG is vital to developing the team.

What does Desabre credit for being able to attract the players? It’s of course the success at the AFCON.

“Before, players like Axel [Tuanzebe] who wanted to play for other countries were afraid of coming to Congo because they assumed it wasn’t good,” says the Frenchman. “But now I get a lot of calls from agents trying to bring in young Congolese players.”

On Congo’s southwest border is another recruitment success story in Angola. Having coached some of Portugal’s best talents like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Rafael Leão, the son of Angolan parents,  coach Pedro Gonçalves left Portugal in 2015 to take over Angolan club Primeiro de Agusto’s academy. In the decade since, he has taken over the national team’s youth set up, coaching at every level from the U-17s to the U-23s before taking over the Palancas Negras senior team in 2019.

Gonçalves took the unfancied Angolans to the AFCON where they topped a group with heavy weights Algeria and Burkina Faso before reaching the quarter finals, a best ever finish for the Angolans.

After initially resigning after the AFCON, Gonçalves was convinced to stay on and like DRC, things have only got better for the Lusophone country. They won the Cosafa Cup, are two points off Cameroon in World Cup qualifying and are two wins from two in AFCON qualifying after beating Ghana away in Kumasi. Like DRC, Angola have similarly recruited multiple players from Europe since the AFCON including mercurial talent Manuel Benson from Burnley.

Gonçalves is optimistic that World Cup qualification is possible for a young, talented squad, but more importantly, he is desperate to not let another Rafael Leão get away from him and play for Portugal instead of Angola.

“I coached Rafa Leão, I invited him to join the national team but he said, ‘coach I want to play for the Portugal national team’ and I respect that,” Gonçalves told On The Whistle. “After the AFCON everyone was so delighted… it’s easier to get commitment, Manuel Benson, Randy Ntecka and other young players, they want to join us.”

Maybe with better investment in the facilities and a World Cup qualification, Leão could regret his decision to sit on the bench behind an ageing Cristiano Ronaldo instead of being a superstar for his parents’ country.