A search for Africa’s next football prodigy and the ugliness in the beautiful game

Joseph O’Neill’s new novel Godwin explores neocolonialism in the soccer world and exploitation when nobody can be sure who is doing the exploiting

Patrick Vieira, Mikael Silvestre, Marcel Desailly and Lilian Thuram in action in the successful French team of the late 90s and early Noughties. Photo: Michael Mayhew via Getty Images

Dion Fanning

In 2011, the then manager of the French national football team Laurent Blanc was recorded in conversation with other coaches at the French Football Federation.

When the recording was leaked, it caused an unprecedented controversy in French football.