Mandela was famous for his love of sports, and the most memorable example was post-apartheid in 1995 during the Rugby World Cup. It was the year after South Africa became a democracy, and Mandela stepped up to show support for the country’s national rugby team, made up of white members. Five years later, he spoke about the power of sports, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.” A movie, “Invictus,” chronicles the event.
Source: NYDailyNews.com, PuntlandToday.com
Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza is a self-described huge fan of sports, as well as an athlete himself. He began playing football at the age of 5, and even coached a first division club side at University – which was rated one of the best at the time. He used his presidential powers to re-call former players to form a superstar veteran team known as Halleluja FC, for whom, according to government leaflets, he plays as a striker and often scores goals (BBCNews.)
The former Prime Minster of Kenya is remembered for more than just his leadership of the country’s coalition from 2008 until 2013. He also briefly played football for Luo Union (now known as Gor Mahia), a football club based in Nairobi, Kenya, as a midfielder. The team has won the Kenyan Premier League a record 13 times.
Goodluck Jonathan has long been extremely involved in running Nigeria’s national football team, and takes the success and failure of the Super Eagles personally. After the team’s poor performance in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Jonathan famously tried to ban the team from competing internationally. His ruling was overturned by the FIFA governing body. He became involved once again during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when players threatened to strike over bonus payments. Asserting his authority, Jonathan promised payments would be made in a timely manner and players took the field to represent Nigeria as planned. Now FIFA has ruled again, suspending the Nigerian football team from participating in all international events after the government interfered with the running of the local football federation.
Ghana’s president, John Mahama, went to extreme lengths to ensure his team would play, and play well, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. When players threatened to strike in their game against Portugal unless they received their appearance fees in cash immediately, Mahama organized $3 million to be flown to Brazil to pay the players up front. The move was controversial to say the least, given that the Ghanaian government had to rely on its central bank to pay its bills last quarter. But it ensured the Black Stars continued to play in the tournament. They ended up losing to Portugal and did not advance past the group stage.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has not always received high approval ratings, but his dedication to football has been a priority. Since 2002, Kagame has been the primary sponsor of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association’s football tournament – so much so that is has been renamed the Kagame Interclub Cup. The tournament is contested by clubs from across East and Central Africa, and has been in existence since 1967.
Former Prime Minister of Senegal Aminata Touré shares her last name with two of Africa’s greatest football players — Kolo Touré and Yaya Touré of Côte d’Ivoire — but she herself was also a footballer in her youth. Aminata played football for the Dakar Gazelles and was known as the “Iron Lady” during her career on the pitch. She carried her love of football into political office. As a politician, she was known for her commitment to women’s reproductive rights, fighting corruption, and the sport of football.
Source: DW.de
Somalian Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed has made the creation of sports centers, particularly for youth, a key component of his government’s platform, as well as a critical aspect in the fight against terrorism in the country. While presenting the administration’s Work Plan for 2014 to Parliament, he reinforced his commitment, saying, “Sports centers will be created as we believe sport can be a key weapon in the fight against extremism.”
Source: PuntlandToday.com
Current South African president Jacob Zuma is well known for the time he spent on Robben Island and his participation in the anti-apartheid movement. Zuma served as one of the official referees for the prisoners’ association football games, organized by political prisoners on Robben Island. At one point, the Makana Football Association was running three leagues, with teams from nine clubs competing.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, in office since 2005, has been an outstanding patron of the Tanzania Basketball Federation since his ascension to political power. Kikwete was a basketball player himself during his youth, playing competitively all through school, and remains an avid sports enthusiast to this day.
