adminTHE country’s Big Three – Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United – now know the true cost of their failure to make the grade for the CAF Super League.
None of the local clubs were considered for the new US$100 million tournament, which was launched by CAF, in Arusha yesterday.
Earlier this year, Dynamos and CAPS United were invited to Cameroon, by CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, to discuss the pending Super League.
The poor performance of local clubs, in continental inter-club tournaments, meant none was considered for the new cash-rich tournament.
Yesterday, they got to know the huge financial rewards they would have been getting, had they made the grade.
Each of the participating clubs will be paid US$2.5 million while a further US$1 million will be paid to each participating association.
CAF launched a new club Super League concept yesterday which they claim will usher in a new era of prosperity for football on the continent, but final details over its structure and funding have yet to be confirmed.
The plan will see 24 clubs from 16 countries compete in the pan-African competition that is targeted to start in August 2023, and which has been described by CAF president Patrice Motsepe as the “most fundamental intervention to the significant improvement of the quality of football in Africa”.
The competition will have US$100 million in prize money with US$11.6 million for the winner. One of the spin-offs will be a solidarity fund that will see each of the participating member associations of CAF receive US$1 million per year towards football development.
“The African Super League represents the very best on the continent and we have seen a big appetite from investors to be involved in this project,” Motsepe said in a news conference at the organisation’s General Assembly in Arusha, Tanzania.
“The intention is for kick-off in August 2023, and over the next few months there will be a process of engagement with various stakeholders.
“We will also explain to domestic competitions how this will affect their fixtures.
“At the end of the day, the future of club football is based on commercial competitiveness.
“The face of African football will never be the same again.”
Motsepe was flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who had first mooted the concept at a CAF seminar in February 2020.
“There is a huge will to invest in a project like this, which will give a new visibility to African football,” Infantino said.
“The growth of African club and national team football contributes to the growth of world football.
“The competition will benefit each and every country, not just with the solidarity payment, but the exposure for African football.”
The Super League will play a pool competition first, divided into three groups of eight clubs, before the majority of teams move onto an American-style playoff system, including wild card berths.
CAF will continue with their club showpiece Champions League but officials said there were plans to revert to a two-legged knockout competition, dispensing with the group phase.
It follows a failed attempt by 12 European clubs to form a Super League in April last year, which was ditched, for now, after it received significant backlash from fans. – Sports Reporter/Reuters.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter