Big Men playing football : money, politics and foul play in the African game

While the skills of players can be observed on pitches throughout Africa, the actions of those who run the game's administrative side are less visible. Based on anthropological fieldwork in Ghana and Cameroon, this study's main characters are rich and powerful men who take up positions within clubs and football associations. Through their involvement in football, these African "Big Men" convert symbolic, social and economic capital. In other words, they transform the game's popularity into status and prestige, political power and business opportunities. To this end, they maintain power within football administration through patronage politics. They also tend to resort to foul play. Match-fixing, juju, intimidation and age cheats are some of the methods these Big Men employ in order to achieve their goals.