According to the UN East Africa includes the countries here. Some people might include other countries but the EAC seems to only include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Those nations have a population of around 124 million people... or more than two Britains.
It's strange that this area of Africa produces so few world-class football players. Compare with ECOWAS (roughly double the size in terms of population). Nigeria, Senegal, Cote d'Ivore, Ghana, Liberia, Togo and Mali have all produced world class players in the last twenty years. The only notable, and I use that term loosely, East African player I can remember is Mike Origi of Kenya.
Now, of course, there's twice as many people so we'd expect more players (by and large, Suriname for example has probably produced more world class players since 1980 than Scotland. Suriname has roughly the population of Edinburgh).
However, no East African player really stands out whereas the list of West Africans seems endless. Weah (Liberia), George, Okocha, Kanu, Yekini (all Nigeria), Diouf, Viera (Senegal, though Viera represents France), Côte d'Ivoire (Drogba, Y. Toure, K. Toure), Mali (Sissoko, Kanoute) Ghana (Kuffour, A. Pele, Yeboah), Togo (Adebayor). Where are the Kenyan Adebayors? Or the Tanzanian Weahs?
Alternatively, compare East Africa to the Maghreb or ''Middle Africa'' (Cameroon alone has given the world the likes of Roger Milla and Samuel Eto'o).
I suppose development economists will be able to tell us why Côte d'Ivoire's 10m people or Cameroon's 17m produces so much more footballing talent than Tanzania's 40m? I'm not a development economist so wouldn't know where to start...
RCM
It's strange that this area of Africa produces so few world-class football players. Compare with ECOWAS (roughly double the size in terms of population). Nigeria, Senegal, Cote d'Ivore, Ghana, Liberia, Togo and Mali have all produced world class players in the last twenty years. The only notable, and I use that term loosely, East African player I can remember is Mike Origi of Kenya.
Now, of course, there's twice as many people so we'd expect more players (by and large, Suriname for example has probably produced more world class players since 1980 than Scotland. Suriname has roughly the population of Edinburgh).
However, no East African player really stands out whereas the list of West Africans seems endless. Weah (Liberia), George, Okocha, Kanu, Yekini (all Nigeria), Diouf, Viera (Senegal, though Viera represents France), Côte d'Ivoire (Drogba, Y. Toure, K. Toure), Mali (Sissoko, Kanoute) Ghana (Kuffour, A. Pele, Yeboah), Togo (Adebayor). Where are the Kenyan Adebayors? Or the Tanzanian Weahs?
Alternatively, compare East Africa to the Maghreb or ''Middle Africa'' (Cameroon alone has given the world the likes of Roger Milla and Samuel Eto'o).
I suppose development economists will be able to tell us why Côte d'Ivoire's 10m people or Cameroon's 17m produces so much more footballing talent than Tanzania's 40m? I'm not a development economist so wouldn't know where to start...
RCM
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