ABSTRACT
The 2018 International Federation for Football Associations (FIFA) World Cup is considered an African football failure by many analysts, journalists and African football fans. Only one of the five countries representing the African continent reached the second round of the competition. The perceived collective failure raised questions about the performance of African football. Mismanagement and corruption were the most recurrent explanations. The bribery scandal in Ghanaian football is a supporting example of this mismanagement. Nevertheless, the 2018 FIFA World Cup was also one without any scandal by any African team. This is at least an indicator that mismanagement is not the fate of African football. This case study of two football clubs in Senegal demonstrates where quality management has led to local successes. The first case is Diambars FC, which starred as a football academy and evolved to become a successful football club that would win the Senegal pro-league title a few years after joining the second division. The second case is about the transformation of an existing club, Guédiawaye FC, to a stable professionally run organization after a few years of management overhaul. The chapter also discusses and advocates for football development models coherent with the socioeconomic reality of most sub-Saharan countries.
