Steff Ndei
@steffndei.bsky.social
Writer/Author. PhD candidate at Heriot-Watt University.
Interests: Media, Sports governance and Social Justice in Africa.
Man Utd fan.
Interests: Media, Sports governance and Social Justice in Africa.
Man Utd fan.
Pinned
I think at the core of it all, the problem with critical football discourse is that even the ones who want the best for football governance are football fundamentalists.
Fantastic game this. Brilliant football, everyone is brave with the ball, not careful. There is referee drama on and off the pitch, and the crowd is alive. Just needs a goal.
February 12, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Fantastic game this. Brilliant football, everyone is brave with the ball, not careful. There is referee drama on and off the pitch, and the crowd is alive. Just needs a goal.
An occupational hazard I’ve been facing lately is interacting with experts whose works have informed and influenced global policy, and reckoning how little they know about Africa. This blind spot isn’t on Africa alone, I have to admit. But that epiphany leaves me with a lot questions.
February 10, 2026 at 11:59 PM
An occupational hazard I’ve been facing lately is interacting with experts whose works have informed and influenced global policy, and reckoning how little they know about Africa. This blind spot isn’t on Africa alone, I have to admit. But that epiphany leaves me with a lot questions.
I’m assuming the Liverpool players and staff protesting the third goal didn’t consider that Szoboszlai would be sent off—correctly, as per the letter of the law?
February 8, 2026 at 6:51 PM
I’m assuming the Liverpool players and staff protesting the third goal didn’t consider that Szoboszlai would be sent off—correctly, as per the letter of the law?
Reposted by Steff Ndei
I’m not just a VAR abolitionist but a VAR accelerationist: these farcical moments could be worth celebrating if they turn out to hasten its decline.
February 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
I’m not just a VAR abolitionist but a VAR accelerationist: these farcical moments could be worth celebrating if they turn out to hasten its decline.
Entertaining, isn’t it? 😂
AFCON-ass ending
February 8, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Entertaining, isn’t it? 😂
Infantino may be morally repulsive but he is one hell of a strategist. He is responding to a world in which the liberal order is increasingly lacking universal consent. If the UNGA can no longer maintain unanimity on Russia, why should a sporting body be expected to hold the line on its behalf?
February 3, 2026 at 12:07 PM
Infantino may be morally repulsive but he is one hell of a strategist. He is responding to a world in which the liberal order is increasingly lacking universal consent. If the UNGA can no longer maintain unanimity on Russia, why should a sporting body be expected to hold the line on its behalf?
When I was in Nairobi and interacted with footballers it was very clear to me that the oppressed are often more realistic about power than their advocates. The further someone is from consequences, the more idealist their politics becomes.
February 2, 2026 at 8:49 PM
When I was in Nairobi and interacted with footballers it was very clear to me that the oppressed are often more realistic about power than their advocates. The further someone is from consequences, the more idealist their politics becomes.
I think at the core of it all, the problem with critical football discourse is that even the ones who want the best for football governance are football fundamentalists.
January 28, 2026 at 11:57 PM
I think at the core of it all, the problem with critical football discourse is that even the ones who want the best for football governance are football fundamentalists.
Liberal framing prefers scandal over system because scandal preserves the idea that reform, transparency, or exposure is the solution.
January 26, 2026 at 11:23 AM
Liberal framing prefers scandal over system because scandal preserves the idea that reform, transparency, or exposure is the solution.
Black folks seeing the violence in the land of the free and the brave labeled as “unusual” or “unprecedented.
a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a snl sign
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is standing in front of a snl sign
media.tenor.com
January 25, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Black folks seeing the violence in the land of the free and the brave labeled as “unusual” or “unprecedented.
Reposted by Steff Ndei
Anyone thinking Diaz deliberately missed has forgotten how much of a stink he raised, effectively lobbying VAR to review the foul.
He demanded that penalty, he got that penalty, he missed that penalty.
He demanded that penalty, he got that penalty, he missed that penalty.
January 18, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Anyone thinking Diaz deliberately missed has forgotten how much of a stink he raised, effectively lobbying VAR to review the foul.
He demanded that penalty, he got that penalty, he missed that penalty.
He demanded that penalty, he got that penalty, he missed that penalty.
Such a dramatic game that it’s largely gone unnoticed that Morocco have been playing with 10 men.
January 18, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Such a dramatic game that it’s largely gone unnoticed that Morocco have been playing with 10 men.
This AFCON final is the best encapsulation of the state of the Confederation of African Football. A sham of an institution.
January 18, 2026 at 9:05 PM
This AFCON final is the best encapsulation of the state of the Confederation of African Football. A sham of an institution.
CAF has cancelled CHAN, with Motsepe calling it a “financial black hole.” They’ve replaced it with Africa Nations League tournament. Unless the underlying political economy changes, the Africa Nations League risks becoming yet another illusion tournament built on top of the same broken foundations.
January 18, 2026 at 11:01 AM
CAF has cancelled CHAN, with Motsepe calling it a “financial black hole.” They’ve replaced it with Africa Nations League tournament. Unless the underlying political economy changes, the Africa Nations League risks becoming yet another illusion tournament built on top of the same broken foundations.
Reposted by Steff Ndei
Also Secondary School Games (KSSSA) pull massive crowds,what do you think 'we' could be doing wrong? Ama wakenya tunaogopa kulipia tickets?
Dirt pitches in slums are swamped with fans in tournaments not affiliated with the federations. only the elite game is gone, it’s soul is very much alive.
December 23, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Also Secondary School Games (KSSSA) pull massive crowds,what do you think 'we' could be doing wrong? Ama wakenya tunaogopa kulipia tickets?
The one data point CAF can’t illusion its way out of is the empty stands in its grand stadiums. They can deploy foreign-born footballers on the pitch, but they cannot buy foreign-born fans.
December 23, 2025 at 4:47 AM
The one data point CAF can’t illusion its way out of is the empty stands in its grand stadiums. They can deploy foreign-born footballers on the pitch, but they cannot buy foreign-born fans.
Comoros which has a population of 890k people have fielded a squad comprised of 100% French born players. Out of Morocco’s first XI, 8 those players were born and developed in European systems. Morocco has a population of 38 million. AFCON or EUROS 2.0?
Comoros always impress when you consider the pool from which they draw players.
December 21, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Comoros which has a population of 890k people have fielded a squad comprised of 100% French born players. Out of Morocco’s first XI, 8 those players were born and developed in European systems. Morocco has a population of 38 million. AFCON or EUROS 2.0?
Reposted by Steff Ndei
Changing times. The Oscars have signed exclusively with YouTube.
December 17, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Changing times. The Oscars have signed exclusively with YouTube.
CAF isn’t the only victim to FIFA’s overreach. The Club World Cup is another instance of FIFA breaching the autonomy of confederations and FAs. And soon, the FIFA council will decide on whether home matches can be played abroad. For me, FIFA needs to be obsolete, not reformed.
The Africa Cup of Nations starts in two weeks – and the fact it’s been shunted into this Christmas slot is a disgrace.
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Africa Cup of Nations shunted into margins as greedy game finds no room at top table | Jonathan Wilson
So long as the Premier League invests in its players and Fifa pays it lip service, the continent’s flagship tournament will always struggle to fit in
www.theguardian.com
December 8, 2025 at 12:03 PM
CAF isn’t the only victim to FIFA’s overreach. The Club World Cup is another instance of FIFA breaching the autonomy of confederations and FAs. And soon, the FIFA council will decide on whether home matches can be played abroad. For me, FIFA needs to be obsolete, not reformed.
Human-rights discourse has spent years treating FIFA like a moral authority by asking it to refuse hosts and punish “bad” countries, essentially granting it the moral legitimacy to hand out something like a peace prize. At the same time, FIFA is barely delivering on its formal mandate of developing
December 5, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Human-rights discourse has spent years treating FIFA like a moral authority by asking it to refuse hosts and punish “bad” countries, essentially granting it the moral legitimacy to hand out something like a peace prize. At the same time, FIFA is barely delivering on its formal mandate of developing
“Some get the luck of the draw, for others, life is a dice roll and waiting on faith aint for us.”
- Pusha T
- Pusha T
December 3, 2025 at 10:56 PM
“Some get the luck of the draw, for others, life is a dice roll and waiting on faith aint for us.”
- Pusha T
- Pusha T
Absurd that Cape Verde are going to the World Cup without a functioning professional league. And the “small population” defence falters once you remember Iceland qualified for the 2018 World Cup with their small population.
November 29, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Absurd that Cape Verde are going to the World Cup without a functioning professional league. And the “small population” defence falters once you remember Iceland qualified for the 2018 World Cup with their small population.
Reposted by Steff Ndei
This is great work by @steffndei.bsky.social and @playthegame-org.bsky.social , the article provides a detailed account of the current state of CAF.
A must read. ⤵️
A must read. ⤵️
Why do foreign-born players fill African football teams? A fascinating piece by @steffndei.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social.
www.playthegame.org/news/behind-...
www.playthegame.org/news/behind-...
Behind the stadium boom: Why foreign-born players fill African football teams
A wave of stadium upgrades across Africa coincides with a growing share of Europe-born footballers representing African nations. Steffany Ndei examines how CAF regulations, state interests, and federa...
www.playthegame.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
This is great work by @steffndei.bsky.social and @playthegame-org.bsky.social , the article provides a detailed account of the current state of CAF.
A must read. ⤵️
A must read. ⤵️
Reposted by Steff Ndei
Why do foreign-born players fill African football teams? A fascinating piece by @steffndei.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social.
www.playthegame.org/news/behind-...
www.playthegame.org/news/behind-...
Behind the stadium boom: Why foreign-born players fill African football teams
A wave of stadium upgrades across Africa coincides with a growing share of Europe-born footballers representing African nations. Steffany Ndei examines how CAF regulations, state interests, and federa...
www.playthegame.org
November 26, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Why do foreign-born players fill African football teams? A fascinating piece by @steffndei.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social.
www.playthegame.org/news/behind-...
www.playthegame.org/news/behind-...
FIFA is to Saudi what CAF is to China: the middleman that turns infrastructure into geopolitical leverage.
inside.fifa.com/organisation...
inside.fifa.com/organisation...
Saudi Fund for Development and FIFA join forces to provide financial support for sports infrastructure in developing nations
Unlocking the potential of sports to drive economic and social development, the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and FIFA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allocate up to USD 1 billio...
inside.fifa.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM
FIFA is to Saudi what CAF is to China: the middleman that turns infrastructure into geopolitical leverage.
inside.fifa.com/organisation...
inside.fifa.com/organisation...