Football Exiles

In the FT Petina Gappah writes about the skill drain:

Football is one of the most visible signs of Africa’s skills exodus: the very best African players are quickly snapped up to play for European leagues where they have become ubiquitous. They represent just a tiny proportion of the skilled Africans of all trades and professions who leave the continent. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, about 27,000 Africans left for industrialised countries between 1960 and 1975. Now, an equivalent number leaves the continent every year.