By Daliso Mweene

Wrong Branding or the Race Card  

Last week we heard Samir Nasri and Sol Campbell comment on a race and nationality divide in football. With the diverse world we live in and digital and social influence, could there be more to their claims than they think?

Sol Campbell claims that he would have been England captain for 10 years if he had been white and Nasri claimed Yaya Toure would have been the world’s best midfielder if he wasn’t an African from the Ivory Coast. These claims have left a few on social media unconvinced. The claims have been considered and discarded as unsubstantiated and many pundits have touched on an alternative to the “race card”.

Could the fact that Campbell and Toure do not have a high social profile despite their individual achievements be the reason? All round success, in the last 10 years or so has depended on how well you come across. The simple fact is branding is very important. Look at Beckham and his worldwide appeal; the adulation by the masses in Asia, Africa and yes, even the housewives in Europe and America who buy magazines that keep people in business. It’s all important to the overall appeal of a captain and the governing bodies would be quite foolish not to take advantage of it. 

Campbell as a defender suffered because he isn't the one on the score sheet or on the front pages. That already puts him at a disadvantage. He played for Arsenal in the season they went unbeaten, but his image had already been tarnished with the members of the public after his move from Tottenham Hotspur to bitter rivals Arsenal in the preceding years.  

To try to say that Michael Owen pipped Campbell to the captaincy on leadership merit is quite laughable but we also have to agree that with England, it’s never always about what you do on the pitch. In other words the public image is all important as Beckham’s profile was to market the Three Lions branding over the time he was captain.

King of Africa

The same could be said for Yaya Toure. He has to be the best midfielder of his type to grace the Premier League. The fact he plays with such magnificent players around him help and he should rightly have been considered in the top three in world football. Nasri might be right that had he been of certain nationality, Toure would be considered more often because the spotlight would have been on his team because of a well nurtured brand of football moulded in the last 60 or so years.

Yaya is well and truly the undisputed King of Football in Africa and that is because he is a player most mentioned in the media in respect to European football right now. However, his performances in the African Nations Cup over the last few years haven’t been anything to write home about. This hasn’t stopped him from winning the mantle of Player of the Year, whereas a player with an even lower public profile in John Obi Mikel who won and captained the African Nations Cup 2013 for Nigeria, was left out.

So Yaya would generally have to work harder at his branding and exposure in Europe because, unless he wins trophies on the African continent as well as with Manchester City, he will always suffer anonymity compared to the profiles of Messi and Ronaldo.

Paul Ince has tried to dampen the issue by saying Campbell couldn't have been England captain for 10 years because no one gets the armband for that long. That is not a very helpful answer but Ince knows how to placate a situation. After all, the last thing that is needed is to get a patsy black player installed so the FA looks like they have to be seen to be doing the right thing. Rio Ferdinand was given the armband for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa although he was ruled out with injury, so there has been some attempt to repair the situation.  I cannot think of a black player who could be England captain right now and who would get it on merit. 

I do feel for Sol Campbell as he missed out on being captain because his England manager preferred image over substance for the job. Sven Goran Eriksson was in awe of Beckham’s profile and Owen was one of the best forwards at the time so this was a ready excuse and basic economic savvy. If a player sells you millions of pounds worth of shirts, imagine how much more he would sell you if he was the captain.

The Brand & Skills

Despite the vitriol Campbell has received from social media, the next capable black player with leadership qualities has a better chance of getting the job ahead of a white player who gets the job because he is flavour of the month in the media as well as a great PR team.

Black players have had a lot to complain about with the abuse they face on the terraces and the lack of jobs off them. The fact remains that they have a long way to go before they are trusted and the way to gain that is to earn it. They have to be good at their job, win medals, trophies and prove themselves at the highest possible level that they can. The reason there is credence to Sol Campbell’s claims is because when one decides to look beyond the surface, his achievements provide some sort of proof.

How can these players get into the mix without looking like they have a chip on their shoulder as the comments on social media have accused them of having?

They need to play the game everyone is playing and prove it in the same media that they are the ones for the job. The same forum can be turned on its head to support black players, staff and everyone else that feels discriminated against. If black players want to receive accolades and accept the burdens that come with leadership, they need to do more than just turn up for games on a Saturday. They need to play the game and force the institutions to notice by being visible and being able to compete in all aspects for the positions despite the colour of their skin. Getting involved in the issues concerning the country and looking like you care is what everyone else is doing so why do some players look like all they care about is personalising Range Rovers?

Let’s be honest, no one has the divine right to the captaincy but if the package was right, there would be no choice.