In May it was announced that Lothar Matthäus was joining the Accra Lions in Ghana as an investor. The goal: bring young talent from Ghana to Europe. Matthew speaks of a “business model”. A business that raises questions.
Drums and rattles to welcome Lothar Matthäus to the Accra Lions. Together with two other investors, Germany's record international player bought the club from Ghana's capital in May for around two million euros. “Of course, it is also a business model. Because of course, you put money in somewhere so that it will come back at some point through good transfers,” Matthäus told “Bild” at the time.
People in Ghana do not view Matthew's entry critically
A German uses young Ghanaian footballers as a business model. What might initially sound problematic has been well received in Accra so far, says Ghanaian sports journalist Saddick Adams. “I don’t find that worrying. Because that has always been the concept of the Accra Lions. It is a club founded as a business tool to recruit young players and transfer them to clubs in Europe.”
At the age of 16 or 17, the talented youngsters are already playing in the first team for the Accra Lions. At 18, players are allowed to move to Europe. “The main sources of income for us, as with every club, are transfer income and also resale shares,” says Fiete Kaupp, deputy head of the youth academy at the Accra Lions.
The most prominent example so far: Osman Bukari. At 19, he moved from the Accra Lions to Slovakia for 50,000 euros. Bukari now plays for Red Star Belgrade in Serbia and scored for Ghana against Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar. Bukari's market value today: 6.5 million euros.
Players from Africa initially move to smaller European leagues
“I think that many smaller leagues, such as Romania, Moldova or Azerbaijan, will go to these African markets more often,” explains South African football expert Lorenz Köhler. “You can sign a player for 50,000 to 100,000 euros and sell him next season for probably seven million. (...) But you won't often see an AC Milan or Paris Saint-Germain come to an African team and sign players directly. The requirements have simply become far too high.”
How and how much Matthäus will earn from future player sales and what specific plans he has with the Accra Lions - his management did not provide any feedback on this when asked by Deutschlandfunk. Fiete Kaupp, however, describes the club's ambitions as follows: "We already have a high goal of being one of the best training clubs in West Africa."
Accra Lions want to invest in infrastructure and school education
The fresh money will initially flow into the infrastructure. The club wants to build a kind of youth performance center based on the European model. That means: football and academic education under one roof. According to its own statement, the club attaches great importance to this social responsibility. Because only a few players will make the jump to Europe. “Unfortunately, here in this country there is still high unemployment, even among young people. Sure, you can argue that this path is very difficult. But in the end, unfortunately, I don’t see an ideal path where you can say, okay, and then I’ll definitely be employed in five years,” says Fiete Kaupp.
A few players per year could benefit from Matthäus' investment. But does the money also help football in Ghana as a whole? “To be completely honest: Lothar Matthäus coming to Ghana won’t change anything about the league here. As he said, he is here for business reasons, not to strengthen Ghanaian football,” says sports journalist Saddick Adams.
Köhler: “Football in Ghana at its lowest point”
That would be sorely necessary. “The state also finances the Ghanaian national team, for example, which is actually not planned at all,” says Fiete Kaupp. But there is currently a lack of general investment in football in Ghana that is not directly profit-oriented - from sponsors, FIFA and, above all, the Ghana Football Association. “Ghanaian football is probably at its lowest point right now,” believes football expert Lorenz Köhler.
Lothar Matthäus joining the Accra Lions could at least be a start. “It's all about investment and the right management, the right structures. And maybe Lothar will bring something from the DFB with him, maybe some young German coaches and that can only be good for the development of the club and for the development of domestic football in Ghana,” said Köhler.
Matthäus guided Samuel Kouffour to FC Bayern in 1993
Matthäus knows from his own experience that there have been enough talented players in the country for years. In 1993 he convinced those in charge at FC Bayern around Uli Hoeneß to sign the then 18-year-old Samuel Kouffour. “If it costs too much, then I’ll cover the transfer fee and you’ll cover the salary. And if we sell it on, we’ll share the profit,” Matthäus reported to “Bild”.
Kouffour developed into a regular player at FC Bayern, winning the Champions League and five championship titles. Following this example, Matthäus now wants to earn money in Ghana with the talents of the Accra Lions.
Source: deutschlandfunk.de