2024-01-14 01:23:00
From the Lions of the Atlas to the Elephants of Ivory Coast, including the Eagles of Mali and the Cheetahs of Benin, why do the majority of national football teams in Africa have animals as their emblem?
Logic was respected at the opening of the African Football Cup of Nations: the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire beat the Lycaons of Guinea-Bissau 2-0. The wild dog, this dog which resembles a hyena, which hunts in packs, or in teams, which has also completely disappeared from Guinea-Bissau (only a few thousand remain in all of Africa), could not , on paper, or the scales, to measure up to the heaviest land animal on the planet, the elephant.
Six out of ten African football teams have an animal as their emblem, because Africa is home to some of the most charismatic species, starting with the lion. Three countries have chosen the king of animals as their emblem, in the hope of being the gods of the stadium: Cameroon, and the Indomitable Lions, Morocco and the Atlas lions, a subspecies extinct in the natural state, and Senegal, with the Lions of Teranga. “ Through its mane, the lion imposes respectability. He scares you, underlines journalist Rémy N’Gono, consultant at Radio Foot Internationale. When the Senegalese enter a stadium, they act like lions : they throw themselves on the prey. They are hungry. They want to devour you ! »
Powerful animals
The felines, super predators, also take the lion’s share. “ The animal often represents power in totems. Take Mobutu Sese Seko’s Zaire leopard. He had decided that it would be both his emblem and the emblem of the national team », recalls Rémy N’Gono. “ In the choice of an emblem, specifies sports sociologist Patrick Mignon, there is something that relates to what we will think is a consensus on a representation of oneself ; what is, in fact, the animal on which we will be able to find an agreement that will satisfy everyone. From there, it is also an image that we send back to the opponent. »
The quiet strength of the Zebus of Madagascar, the bite of the Scorpions of Gambia, or the power of the Stallions, the animal symbol of Burkina Faso… We choose an emblem, linked to its country, for its physical qualities. “ In Africa, there are animals that are greatly respected, but that no team can take as a name or nickname. For example : The turtle. Everyone will tell you in Africa that it is the most intelligent animal. But football represents a fight, so from this moment on, we look for the one who can have the strength to be able to win, not through trickery, but through determination, endurance, the physical side », explains Rémy N’Gono.
The law of the jungle on the lawn
Three countries chose the eagle: Tunisia, Nigeria and Mali. But what about the Swallows of Burundi? Last year, Benin officially changed its name. The Squirrels became the Cheetahs. What makes Rémy N’Gono smile: « In the forest, where the wild animals are there, the squirrel is on the branches looking for palm nuts. But what can the squirrel gain? ? As a result, [les Béninois] said to themselves : we are going to become cheetahs. But you know it very well : the donkey may change its name, it will always remain a donkey ! “. Despite its new nickname, Benin did not qualify for this African Cup of Nations. At the penultimate CAN, in 2019, the Lions of Teranga were beaten in the final by the Fennecs, the cunning foxes of the Algerian desert. The law of the jungle is not always respected.
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