Football bars: urban sub-Saharan Africa's trans-local ‘stadiums’

The sub-Saharan African television landscape has significantly changed since the 1990s under the influence of technological, economic and political factors. Transnational television broadcasting blossomed in Africa and paved the way for the import of overseas football content. Live broadcasting of football flourished due to deregulation and political factors, allowing European football games to become accessible to fans across sub-Saharan Africa. Trans-local ‘stadiums’, football bars, specialised football video theatres and households with cable or satellite subscriptions mediate these processes of trans-localisation. This article argues that football transnational television broadcasting is generating a new form of fandom in sub-Saharan Africa. For many young football fans, transnational football broadcasting is becoming the main or almost only experience of live football. The discussion in this article analyses the emergence and shaping of the trans-local ‘stadiums’, and their attendees.