Johannesburg, South Africa — Greenpeace Africa, together with Magamba Network and partners in the Kick Polluters Out Network, have launched a powerful new satirical video exposing TotalEnergies’ sponsorship of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as a deliberate attempt to greenwash its destructive environmental and human rights record across the continent.
A second satirical video produced by Journal Rappe, members of the Kick Polluters Out network, will be released on Friday, extending the campaign’s reach across Francophone Africa and reinforcing the call to end TotalEnergies’ greenwashing of African football.
These videos challenge TotalEnergies’ efforts to associate itself with African pride, culture, and football, while the company continues to expand fossil fuel projects that drive climate breakdown, displace communities, and undermine human rights from Mozambique to Tanzania, including through the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The English version features BAFTA-award-winning UK comedian Jolyon Rubinstein alongside Zimbabwean comedian Munashe Chirisa. The film delivers a sharp and accessible critique of what campaigners describe as TotalEnergies’ neo-colonial business model, using humour to expose the gap between the company’s public image and the real impacts of its operations on African communities.
“It’s a disgrace that at a time where 99% of climate scientists could not be clearer that Africa is tipping into a climate catastrophe, a neo-colonial fossil fuel giant can greenwash their image through one of the world’s most beloved football tournaments. Let’s work together to show TotalEnergies the red card,” said Jolyon Rubinstein, one of the actors/creatives who worked on the AFCON video.”
Football should unite, not greenwash pollution
TotalEnergies’ continued sponsorship of AFCON comes as the company faces growing scrutiny over fossil fuel expansion, land grabs, and displacement of communities, as well as legal and regulatory actions linked to misleading climate claims and environmental harm. From mass displacement linked to oil and gas projects to accusations of deceptive greenwashing, critics argue that the company’s branding strategy seeks to distract from mounting evidence of harm.
“TotalEnergies isn’t sponsoring AFCON to support African football; they’re using the beauty of the game to hide the ugliness of their pollution,” said Trust , campaigner with Kick Polluters Out. “They only care about their image and profits. Greenwashing is their favourite tactic, and this pretend shift into renewables is just another PR stunt. AFCON is simply another chance for them to distract Africa from the destruction they cause across our continent.”
Greenpeace Africa, Magamba Network and the Kick Polluters Out movement stress that football, one of Africa’s most powerful cultural forces, must not be exploited to legitimize companies whose core business accelerates climate catastrophe and deepens inequality. Campaigners are urging the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to adopt fossil-free sponsorship policies, similar to how tobacco sponsorships were once removed from sport.
A Call to CAF and African institutions
The video launch forms part of a wider continental mobilisation calling on sports institutions, governments, and sponsors to put people and the planet before polluters’ profits.
As Africa faces worsening floods, droughts, and heatwaves as a result of the climate crisis, allowing polluters to wrap themselves in the symbols of our unity and joy in is unacceptable when they ultimately need to be held accountable,” Sherelee Odayar, Oil and Gas Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, said. “AFCON should inspire hope, resilience and solidarity – not serve as a billboard for climate destruction.
LINKS TO VIDEO: Instagram, YouTube
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