Africa (Commonwealth) _The opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations, which takes place in Abidjan’s Alassane Ouattara Stadium on January 13, features Guinea Bissau taking against the home nation, Ivory Coast. During the football competition, six stadiums will be used, including this state-of-the-art arena.
Several representatives of the Chinese embassy stationed in Ivory Coast attended Daniel Kablan Duncan, the former prime minister of that nation, during a groundbreaking ceremony in 2016.
It was not surprising that they were there. Ultimately, the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design created the stadium’s design, while the Beijing Construction Engineering Group constructed it. These are both state entities in China.
China has had a major role in the construction of additional tournament locations. Again controlled by the state, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation constructed the Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro. And the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo was constructed with the assistance of the China National Building Material company as general contractor.
All of this is a part of China’s long-term “stadium diplomacy” strategy, which it has been implementing all over the continent. Stadiums have regularly been given as gifts to African countries, or else paid for with comparatively inexpensive loans, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to increase commerce and strengthen interdependence between China and other nations.
For example, China built both of Gabon’s stadiums for the 2012 Cup of Nations, which it co-hosted alongside Equatorial Guinea. China constructed two more when Gabon hosted the tournament five years later.
Currently, China purchases 15% of Gabon’s exports, primarily manganese and crude oil. Additionally, Alassane Ouattara, the president of Ivory Coast, traveled to Beijing to finalize a strategic cooperative alliance at the same time as building on the Alassane Ouattara Stadium got began.
China has made US$1.5 billion (£1.2 billion) in investments in Ivory Coast by 2020. The African country now exports commodities and natural resources valued at US$700 million to China, up from US$100 million in 2016.
Chinese stadium diplomacy is formally presented as being advantageous to both parties. It is practiced in nations such as Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, and Angola. Some commentators, however, disagree.
Because even as recipient countries benefit from shiny new sports facilities, foreign direct investment, and export agreements, concerns about control and exploitation continue on the political and economic levels.
However, the advantages are evident for China. Through stadium diplomacy, the nation may expand its area of influence throughout Africa, frequently resulting in a political unbalance that puts African countries at Beijing’s mercy. Africa is becoming a source of raw resources that support China’s economic expansion and global hegemony in industries like telecommunications and battery production.
However, China faces a strategic adversary. Saudi Arabia is interested in participating in football diplomacy as well. The Gulf superpower is advancing rapidly with its own economic development and change, which includes making large investments in sports. The primary goal of Saudi Arabia’s objectives is to establish itself as the center of international football’s “Afro-Eurasian” region.
It looked for a while in 2023 that the monarchy, together with Egypt and Greece, would submit a bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia was apparently willing to construct new stadiums in each of its partner nations as part of the planned agreement.
In the end, Saudi Arabia is the only bidder for the 2034 competition, and Morocco, Spain, and Portugal will host that championship. However, as part of its hosting ambitions, Neom, the US$500 billion mega-city Saudi Arabia is creating, would likely require some cooperation with Egypt.
In other news, the African Football League now has Saudi Arabia as its primary backer. In an effort to improve ties between the two countries, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and the Mauritius Football Association have also reached an agreement to build infrastructure and educate referees.
