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
Steff Ndei
@steffndei.bsky.social
· Apr 18
🧵 This poster tells us a lot about the relationship between corporates and the local football industry in Kenya. Winners of this tournament win 30,000ksh (approx $230) and runners up win 20,00ksh which is approx $155. To participate in the 5x5 tournament, players have to subscribe to... 1/10
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...
Of all the things to write about in yesterday’s game, the amplification of this narrative is indicative of how African football gets dragged back into anthropology whenever structural questions demand attention.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
Nigeria coach Chelle alleges DR Congo players practiced 'voodoo' during penalty shootout
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Of all the things to write about in yesterday’s game, the amplification of this narrative is indicative of how African football gets dragged back into anthropology whenever structural questions demand attention.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...
FIFA operates under two fundamentally different logics
(a) Sporting Logic: The product FIFA sells (World Cups) is defined by elite competition.
(b) Governance Logic (democracy):
where FIFA Congress uses one-member–one-vote.
But these two logics are incompatible within a single institution.
(a) Sporting Logic: The product FIFA sells (World Cups) is defined by elite competition.
(b) Governance Logic (democracy):
where FIFA Congress uses one-member–one-vote.
But these two logics are incompatible within a single institution.
November 16, 2025 at 12:47 AM
FIFA operates under two fundamentally different logics
(a) Sporting Logic: The product FIFA sells (World Cups) is defined by elite competition.
(b) Governance Logic (democracy):
where FIFA Congress uses one-member–one-vote.
But these two logics are incompatible within a single institution.
(a) Sporting Logic: The product FIFA sells (World Cups) is defined by elite competition.
(b) Governance Logic (democracy):
where FIFA Congress uses one-member–one-vote.
But these two logics are incompatible within a single institution.
The new expanded World Cup should make FIFA’s failures visible. UEFA is still the system’s centre of gravity so much so that even Africa scouts its national teams from there. The teams entering the World Cup without that advantage, and without real domestic development, will struggle.
November 15, 2025 at 12:25 PM
The new expanded World Cup should make FIFA’s failures visible. UEFA is still the system’s centre of gravity so much so that even Africa scouts its national teams from there. The teams entering the World Cup without that advantage, and without real domestic development, will struggle.
The same way they use marijuana and psilocybin to tame their demons while desecrating them as indigenous heresy is exactly how I have Ecclesiastes tattooed on my wrist to weather life’s blows, while questioning the faith that birthed it. We all borrow from what we despise.
November 11, 2025 at 9:41 PM
The same way they use marijuana and psilocybin to tame their demons while desecrating them as indigenous heresy is exactly how I have Ecclesiastes tattooed on my wrist to weather life’s blows, while questioning the faith that birthed it. We all borrow from what we despise.
"Enforcers of orthodoxy can't allow a borderline idea to exist, because that gives other enforcers an opportunity to one-up them in the moral purity department, and perhaps even to turn enforcer upon them."
paulgraham.com/conformism.h...
paulgraham.com/conformism.h...
The Four Quadrants of Conformism
paulgraham.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:42 AM
"Enforcers of orthodoxy can't allow a borderline idea to exist, because that gives other enforcers an opportunity to one-up them in the moral purity department, and perhaps even to turn enforcer upon them."
paulgraham.com/conformism.h...
paulgraham.com/conformism.h...
Doku will be as essential to City this season as Salah was to Liverpool last season. What a baller.
November 9, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Doku will be as essential to City this season as Salah was to Liverpool last season. What a baller.
Reposted by Steff Ndei
#EastAfrica’s big football moment is approaching – but at what cost? Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are spending over $700m on Africa Cup of Nations 2027 stadiums. Some look more like vanity projects than lasting investments in the region’s sporting future. #AfCoN
africa-conf.com/expensive-dr...
africa-conf.com/expensive-dr...
Fields of expensive dreams
, When Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were appointed co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, the move was hailed as a welcome shot in the arm for three of Africa’s unlikely football minnows – none of…
africa-conf.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
#EastAfrica’s big football moment is approaching – but at what cost? Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are spending over $700m on Africa Cup of Nations 2027 stadiums. Some look more like vanity projects than lasting investments in the region’s sporting future. #AfCoN
africa-conf.com/expensive-dr...
africa-conf.com/expensive-dr...
Reposted by Steff Ndei
Eerie calm, digital blackouts and deadly force: #Tanzania’s election unfolded under a cloud of fear. Leaked footage and eyewitness accounts point to ballot-stuffing on an industrial scale.
africa-conf.com/cloud-of-blood
africa-conf.com/cloud-of-blood
Cloud of blood and doubt hangs over Hassan’s victory
Marked by eerie calm and deadly force, the vote unfolded under an internet shutdown – amid fear and fraud
africa-conf.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Eerie calm, digital blackouts and deadly force: #Tanzania’s election unfolded under a cloud of fear. Leaked footage and eyewitness accounts point to ballot-stuffing on an industrial scale.
africa-conf.com/cloud-of-blood
africa-conf.com/cloud-of-blood
Fifa forward money.
if mamdani can become mayor of new york city, what’s stopping my fifa presidency?
November 6, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Fifa forward money.
Samia‘s 97% victory in Tanzania’s election was shaped as much by repression as by resource mobilisation. Weeks before the vote, Yanga SC, one of the country’s biggest football club, donated US$ 40,000 to Samia’s party campaign fund. Its sponsor pledged US$ 4 million. www.reuters.com/world/africa...
Tanzania's President Hassan takes office after deadly election violence
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan vowed on Monday to move on from deadly protests set off by last week's disputed election as she was sworn into office for her first elected term.
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Samia‘s 97% victory in Tanzania’s election was shaped as much by repression as by resource mobilisation. Weeks before the vote, Yanga SC, one of the country’s biggest football club, donated US$ 40,000 to Samia’s party campaign fund. Its sponsor pledged US$ 4 million. www.reuters.com/world/africa...
tiktok ni kama mtaniona end of this month wadau. Nimelock in alafu pia nimetekwa na mapenzi 😂
November 6, 2025 at 11:28 AM
tiktok ni kama mtaniona end of this month wadau. Nimelock in alafu pia nimetekwa na mapenzi 😂
Reposted by Steff Ndei
The FIFA Council, its governing board, were not given a say over this peace award. It is purely a Gianni Infantino innovation and he will decide who gets it. Amazing how a decade after a major corruption scandal nearly ended FIFA, this is how FIFA runs now. Such a concentration of power.
November 5, 2025 at 10:29 PM
The FIFA Council, its governing board, were not given a say over this peace award. It is purely a Gianni Infantino innovation and he will decide who gets it. Amazing how a decade after a major corruption scandal nearly ended FIFA, this is how FIFA runs now. Such a concentration of power.
Interesting how sport governing bodies are now the institutions with moral legitimacy, despite not operating on moral terms at all. Their operational logic is political and economic. Paradoxically, appealing to their moral conscience enables them.
Infantino will present Fifa's "Peace Prize" on 5 December, the day of the 2026 World Cup draw.
In Washington D.C.
We're all thinking the same thing, yes? Surely he couldn't? Oh yes he could.
inside.fifa.com/organisation...
In Washington D.C.
We're all thinking the same thing, yes? Surely he couldn't? Oh yes he could.
inside.fifa.com/organisation...
FIFA introduces the FIFA Peace Prize - an award to recognise exceptional actions for peace and unity
FIFA has announced the introduction of the “FIFA Peace Prize – Football Unites the World” to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have unit...
inside.fifa.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Interesting how sport governing bodies are now the institutions with moral legitimacy, despite not operating on moral terms at all. Their operational logic is political and economic. Paradoxically, appealing to their moral conscience enables them.
I went on TikTok live and managed to get some Kenyans to sign up for this app, plus I was able to talk about the issues I write about and managed to change people’s minds (even though not many!) I haven’t resolved my gripes with social media but that experience got me thinking!
October 28, 2025 at 9:32 PM
I went on TikTok live and managed to get some Kenyans to sign up for this app, plus I was able to talk about the issues I write about and managed to change people’s minds (even though not many!) I haven’t resolved my gripes with social media but that experience got me thinking!