ABSTRACT
Migration of African footballers to South-East Asia results from the global mobility characterizing the international soccer market. The growing popularity of soccer in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam is a consequence of globalization and commercialization of soccer clubs and fans associations. This particular phenomenon has represented the beginning of a South-East Asian soccer network and labor market for the recruitment of African players. Using narratives of individual footballers, coaches, and recruitment agents, the authors explore the factors that have attracted and influenced the mobility of African soccer players and brought them to Thailand. They also examine the strategies and resources that African football players mobilize in their effort to integrate into the Thai football leagues and maintain connections with families and friends in countries of origin.
