Editor’s Note: The whole essence of exercising the game of football is leisure. The game might have turned its practitioners into millionaires, billionaires, super stars, celebrities, opinion leaders and what have you. But it all revolves around leisure. Playing for the galleries is just what it is. He who talks leisure, talks football – then he who talks football talks music. In a recent feature delivered on Afrikka Radio’s African Cocktail, Crystal Beauty of the Crystal Beauty Show made an adventure into the world of football music.

Even before the traditional media came into play in football, the game went hand-in-glove with music, at the time supplied by touchline supporters who would beat the drums, sound the trumpets, blow the whistles, chant the victory songs and do the victory dance. Many a times, this touchline music was largely responsible for inspirational play that resulted to victory.

With the coming of radio and television, football played in the studio, on record player, on CD and on the screens became rife. Today, the game has gone fully musical with scores of songs produced each year to salute the coming of popular and popularized football rendezvous. The World Cup is no doubt the biggest beneficiary of this musical talent that goes the football direction.

Since 1986, the World Cup anthem has been a very significant aspect of the tournament – Just to name a few, the 1990 Italy World Cup anthem still sounds loud in our ears, just like Shakira’s Waka Waka that held the entire globe spellbound.

However, many more World Cup songs have either glorified the participating footballers or predicted victories. Africa has had its own fair share of the World Cup tracks and observers still hold that some of the most interesting ones have come from the continent.

Just this year, several African singers from World Cup participating countries have been in and out of the studio with spectacular tunes that depict the prowess of their respective squads. Cameroon was not left behind in this quest. Football tracks have gone viral, days to the start of the World Cup tournament. A few of them caught this reporter’s attention.

Askia Ft J Milly - Aller Les Lions

Awu - If a can , can

The 4 - Venez Celebrer

Duc Z Feat Stanley Enow - Back in the game

Collectif - Hip Hop Mondial

B-1 & Alexis. E - Les Lions Sont Forts

Petit Pays ft Sine - Maracana

Da Cure - We Made It

Mark Dad - Love Champions

Immity ft Manu Dibango- Cameroun Wake up

Major - Umquombothi

Other World Cup songs from the Nigerians Ivoirians and Algerians have displayed similar determination as well as celebrated talent, glory and patriotism. If we go by music alone, one could easily equate the World Cup with some major entertainment event. Also, if the game were to leave the pitch and be played in the studio, it would be difficult to decipher who would carry the day, for, the songs are just as captivating and at times even more than the play on the green turf. Little doubt that upon retirement or even still in activity, some football legends don’t hesitate to go to the studio and sing. The legendary Roger Milla is a good an example……..

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