Quotes of the Day

For a brief spell every two years, established sporting and economic order is inverted, and a European loss becomes Africa's joyous gain. That three-week season of reversed roles is now in full swing, as top-flight footballers from 16 countries ditch high-paying jobs with professional clubs — most in Europe — to defend their flag in the African Cup of Nations (CAN) soccer tournament. Hosted this year by Tunisia, the CAN is not only Africa's most exciting and alluring sports event — drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the continent, and over a billion TV viewers in 150 nations. It also offers an increasingly rare opportunity for African fans to get a closer view of their footballing heroes — the majority of whom live and work in far-off cities and clubs of Europe. But sports business being as it is, the sterling play the CAN produces — and the rising quality of African football in general — has also made the tournament a poacher's dream come true.

"Most of the European teams rely on African players now," notes Lagos taxi driver Fatai Ayinde, still smarting from Nigeria's unexpected 1-0 loss to Morocco last week. "Club scouts can come to the one place to watch all these players. That is why you see so many people coming from Europe."

The names and numbers of CAN 2004 — which wraps up Feb. 14 — testify to the depth and distinction of Africa's soccer exodus. Fully 200 of the 352 footballers representing CAN national sides play professionally in Europe — 79 in France, 28 in Belgium, and 23 in England. That quantity also boasts considerable quality, with many national team members commanding star status with marquee pro clubs. Those include Nigerians Nwankwo Kanu (Arsenal) and Jay-Jay Okocha (Bolton); Lucien Mettomo (Kaiserslautern), Samuel Eto'o (Majorca) and Eric Djemba-Djemba (Manchester United) of defending CAN champions Cameroon; and El-Hadji Diouf (Liverpool), Habib Beye (Marseille), Diop Pape Malik (Lorient) with 2002 runner-up Senegal. CAN participants also involve rapidly rising talent like Bordeaux strikers Pascal Feindouno (Guinea) and Maroune Chamakh (Morocco), Ajax Amsterdam's Hatem Trabelsi (Tunisia), Marseille's Hossam Mido (Egypt), and Tottenham attacker Frédéric Kanouté (Mali). Four-time CAN winner Cameroon is again strong this year, with Senegal, Nigeria, and host Tunisia rounding out the other favored contenders.

Because Africa produces such an enormous pool of talent — but does not have the resources to invest in high-paying pro leagues — European clubs have long been active luring both established and promising players with juicy contracts. But with European teams so dependent on African recruits, many now denounce the biennial CAN as a mid-season disaster costing them bodies, goals and money. French club Lens, for example, lost eight players to the CAN — six starters — while Paris Saint-Germain counted five departures. Teams in more affluent pro leagues — notably England — reportedly lobbied African players hard to decline participation at CAN, and some observers feel similar pressure by Inter Milan led Nigeria wunderkind Obafemi Martins to stay put in Italy. "It's the age old problem of club versus country," says Sithembele Khala, spokesman for the South African Football Association — which fired national coach Shakes Mashaba in January due to his conflicts with players over their professional commitments. "The truth is the employers of the players are the clubs. At a national level it's more a national duty. As a player there's an opportunity cost no matter what you decide."

Football's world governing body FIFA doesn't think that's right — and has made rule changes allowing even more Europe-based pros to qualify for African teams. Since Jan. 1, dual-citizens who've played for junior — but not adult — squads of one nation may chose to play on senior teams for their second homeland if they wish. That will permit players recruited to Europe and naturalized as minors — or born there to immigrant parents — to join African national sides as adults. Tottenham's Kanouté is an example: born in France to Malian parents, Kanoute opted to play for Mali's adult squad at the CAN under the new rule after repeated participation on French junior teams. (Had Ghana-born Marcel Desailly, Senegal native Patrick Viera, or Zaire-origin Claude Makelele had the same option in contemplating their international careers, French football history — and championship trophy case — might be very different today.)

Kanouté's Tottenham club was one of at least six in Europe that saw players recruited as Europeans leave to debut as first-time Africans at this year's CAN. But the oddest passport swap was staged by striker Francileudo Dos Santos, who attained Tunisian citizenship neither of his Brazilian parents possess just weeks before the CAN — presumably to bolster the Carthage Eagles' attack. Like other European clubs who feel victimized by CAN's call, Dos Santos' French employer FC Sochaux denounced the neo-Tunisian's temporary defection. Still, Sochaux staffers must have felt proud despite themselves: Dos Santos not only scored the winning goal in Tunisia's CAN curtain-raising win over Rwanda, but also added two more in a second match, qualifying Tunisia for the quarter-final round.

• BRUCE CRUMLEY/Paris and SIMON ROBINSON/Johannesburg
• For African fans, a rare chance to bask in the talent of their soccer stars