THE TRANSFER OF NAVETANE PLAYERS: REASONS OF INTERNAL MOBILITY IN A POPULAR FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Navetane is a popular football championship that mobilises several thousand players (players, managers, supporters, marabouts, etc.) every year in Senegal. The sportical and cultural association (SCA) that represents the club was considered as a neighbourhood affair. Staying loyal to it is sacred. Consequently, any transfer to another club was seen as a betrayal. This study is therefore interested in the factors that influence the navetane player to change SCA in this championship today. Through the study of this internal mobility, this article intends to contribute to a better understanding of the logic behind this phenomenon. The research is based on a documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with players and managers of the navetane. The results show that, in addition to economic motivations and the ambitions of a professional sports career, navetane players seek recognition and symbolic retribution from the inhabitants of their neighbourhood.