After the Stallions’ 7-0 rout by Argentina, transitional president Ibrahim Traoré launches the “Ligue de la souveraineté”. The project promises nearly 1,000 jobs and 200,000 CFA francs a month for the players selected.
The “Ligue de la souveraineté” is official. Captain Ibrahim Traoré, president of Faso, has formalised the creation of a new championship intended to rebuild the national game, according to Africanews and leFaso.net. The project promises nearly 1,000 jobs and guarantees a minimum wage of 200,000 CFA francs a month, around 342 dollars, with social cover for every athlete selected (leFaso.net, African Initiative).
The announcement comes after the 7-0 drubbing the Stallions suffered at the hands of Argentina in early October, which the head of state called the sign of a football that is “sick” (Afrik-Foot). To carry the project, he gathered regional governors, officials of sports organisations and former internationals, including Charles Kaboré, former Stallions captain and ambassador for sport, Alain Traoré and Adama Guira (leFaso.net).
Regions, identity and a guaranteed salary
Addressing his audience, Ibrahim Traoré made the case for one idea: “We have to involve the regions because we have decided to give our sport an identity. And that is how competition is created too.” The governors are involved in recruiting coaches and supervising the regional teams, according to TV5Monde. Teams travelling through areas with difficult security will be escorted and supported by the Burkinabè army, according to Burkina 24.
Funding is to rely on the private sector. The president called on businesses to back the tournament, describing the participation of the regions as “voluntary but obligatory” (Alwihda Info).
“The Federation does practically nothing”
The attack on the national bodies is direct. According to Afrik-Foot, the head of state denounced the inaction of the sports federations, even though the state covers bonuses, travel and subsidies for the clubs, with no right of oversight. “When we talk about football, it is the state that does almost everything. Travel, national team bonuses, match bonuses, win bonuses… It is the state that pays for everything. Even the fans. That is billions being injected. Domestically, it is subsidies for the clubs. So the Federation does practically nothing.”
A risk of interference under scrutiny
The involvement of governors in recruiting coaches and supervising regional teams raises the risk of an international sanction, notes TV5Monde. CAF and FIFA are closely monitoring the project, which could breach the statutes prohibiting political interference in football (Afrik-Foot, Senegal24news).
Senegal24news also mentions formal risks of suspending the national team should the federation’s autonomy be shown to have been breached. For now these are only media hypotheses, as no procedure has been announced. The regional committees for recruiting coaches and squads for the Ligue de la souveraineté have yet to be set up, and an official reaction from CAF’s emergency committee and FIFA on respect for the statutes of the Burkinabè Federation is awaited.