admin . Fungai Muderere
THE Confederation of African Football (Caf) has selected dates and kick-off times for their two major tournaments, the Caf Champions League and the Caf Confederation Cup, to create a�?a new identity regarding the television broadcast of the matchesa�?.
a�?Following the approval of the Caf Interclub Committee, the Total Caf Champions League will henceforth be played on Friday and Saturday for weekend matches and Tuesday for mid-week matches,a�? read a statement published on the official Caf website on Tuesday.
a�?Sundays have been reserved for the Total Caf Confederation Cup and Wednesday for the mid-week games,a�? the statement added.
The decision for the change comes as Caf aims to promote a a�?broadcast identitya�? like that of European games.
Previously, game dates and kick-off times were determined by host teams.
a�?We strongly believe in having a unique identity for the club competitions and also creating a regular rendezvous time for the fans,a�? Caf secretary general Amr Fahmy said adding that the shift would also increase the number of matches broadcast by the television rights holders.
a�?There will be a few exceptions in some special cases since it is a new policy. However, we are hopeful it will mark a giant leap for our club competitions,a�? added Fahmy.
The group stages of the two competitions will kick off on the weekend of 4 to 6 May 2018, with the Champions League fixtures already announced. The cup games will be scheduled after the draw next Saturday.
Al Ahly are competing in the Champions League and kick off in the group stage against Esperance.
derick.khumalo