Who Gets to Belong? Diaspora, Development, and Opportunity in Global Football
- James Louis-Charles
- Jan 9
- 4 min read
Football presents itself as a meritocracy where talent determines success. However, debates about identity and legitimacy often arise when unexpected teams succeed, challenging long-standing expectations about belonging.
This dynamic was evident during the last World Cup, when a recurring joke in Latin America and Europe labeled France’s national team as an African team. Despite representing France, many players were treated as outsiders whose success was not
fully recognized as French.
A similar pattern appeared during CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. Haiti, with players of Haitian descent born or developed in France, was accused by some of being a French team in disguise.
This contradiction highlights how the global system is praised when it benefits powerful nations but questioned when it supports smaller or marginalized ones, even under similar circumstances.
In both cases, many players central to these debates were born in France. Both France’s players of African descent and many representing Haiti were born in France to immigrant parents, often growing up in the same neighborhoods and developing within the same professional systems.
Yet their legitimacy is judged differently based on the team they represent. When France wins with players of African descent born in France, their identity is questioned. When Haiti competes with similar players, the country’s legitimacy is questioned. The difference lies in expectations, not birthplace, training, or eligibility.
This tension is also evident in discussions about African football. For decades, African competitions were considered below European standards. European clubs often objected to releasing players for the Africa Cup of Nations, citing disruptions to league
schedules and perceived lower competition levels.
Recent editions of the Africa Cup of Nations have challenged those assumptions.
In the current tournament, 24 national teams compete with squads of up to 28 players, totaling about 672 participants. Notably, France is the most common country of birth, with 107 players.
However, this statistic alone does not explain the tournament’s improved level of play.
The key change is that more African players, whether born in Europe or Africa, now are getting their training in professional environments that provide regular elite competition.
Many Africa Cup of Nations players regularly compete in Europe’s top leagues, meeting high tactical and physical standards. Simultaneously, investment in African football through local academies, partnerships, and improved domestic leagues has
raised the continent’s overall level of play.
As a result, the tournament is faster, more organized, and higher in quality than outdated stereotypes suggest. This improvement reflects greater access to professional coaching, competitive matches, and clear pathways to elite levels.
In summary, talent has always existed; what changed is the expansion of opportunity.
The same logic applies to Haiti.
Haiti’s national team increasingly benefits from players of Haitian descent developed in France. This practice is common among successful football nations, such as Morocco, Croatia, and Senegal, and reflects the reality of modern football, where families
move but identities remain strong.
Under FIFA rules, players are eligible to represent a country if they hold its nationality or if their parents or grandparents were born there. Haiti is operating fully within those rules, just as France and many other nations do.
But the most competitive football nations do not rely solely on diaspora talent. The difference between a Haitian child growing up in France and one in Haiti is not passion for the game. Haitian children are equally driven, but they lack the same exposure, infrastructure, and access to professional pathways.
In France, talented children access structured academies, organized leagues, advanced coaching, and professional scouting. In Haiti, these systems are limited, so many of the
country’s best players thrive abroad.
Strong national teams succeed by welcoming all eligible talent, regardless of where it develops, and by investing in domestic opportunities so local players can reach the same standards as those trained abroad.
This is where partnerships can play a meaningful role.
European clubs are central to professional football, controlling much of the sport’s resources and development pathways. Partnerships focused on coaching education, youth development, structured competition, and long-term planning can help bridge
the gap between local talent and international opportunities.
These partnerships aim to strengthen, not replace, local systems. They raise standards, create consistency, and enable young players to develop without leaving home early.
This vision guides L’Ouverture Academy. The goal is to complement, not replace, the Haitian diaspora pipeline by providing children in Haiti with advanced coaching, education, and competitive environments that prepare them for professional
opportunities at home or abroad. The strongest football nations do not choose between homegrown and diaspora players. They recognize the value of both and build pathways that make geography less decisive for success. Football is global. Talent exists everywhere. What remains uneven is access.
Closing this gap does not require changing the rules. It requires expanding opportunities so that a child’s prospects are not determined by birthplace.
European clubs interested in pursuing meaningful, long-term partnerships are invited to continue this conversation with L’Ouverture Academy.
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