Everything You (Probably) Don't Know About African Football | Andrew Olsson

Welcome to Episode 23 of the Because Football Podcast! Our guest is Andrew Olsson, creator of Pan-Africa Football, a website whose purpose is to keep fans of African football updated and to educate those who wish to know more. He extends his knowledge and passion regarding African football with us in this eye-opening episode! What started as a course assignment about transfers of African players to Europe blossomed into an uncontrollable passion and birthed the news site, which now boasts 33,000 followers on Facebook and nearly 6,000 followers on X. Over the past few years, Andrew has cultivated a network of fellow journalists, club officials, and players across the continent. This access has allowed Andrew to give deep coverage of domestic and continental African football. We discuss the upcoming AFCON in Cote d'Ivoire, his favorite to win the tournament, as well as current hot topics like the new African Super League. Our chat balances regional competitions with domestic perspectives and the challenges that domestic leagues on the continent often face, namely...where is the money going to come from? Andrew informs us about how many top European leagues are unwilling to take a chance of African talent, and often are sorely lacking in information about the continent outside of some of the bigger national sides like Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, and Egypt. He talks about why that is and what factors have affected it. Our guest also shares some stories to watch out for during AFCON and teams that could cause a shock on Africa's biggest stage! We thank Andrew for his time and wish him the best as he seeks to turn Pan-Africa Football into an opportunity within the football industry. To follow Andrew Olsson and Pan-Africa Football, check out these links: LinkedIn Facebook X / Twitter Find out more about Because Football: LinkedIn Instagram For more about our Transform Soccer training programs in the USA: Website Instagram