Sundaymail Editor
Arthur Choga
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has said it is launching an African Super League with a US$100m prize pot.
The winners of this tournament are set to receive US$11million, which is about double what was paid to Senegal for winning the CAF Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Our neighbours South Africa have already been advised that they will have three clubs in the tournament. These are Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. The last two are past winners of the CAF Champions League.
Dynamos and CAPS United were invited to the round table that shared the news of the formation of the Super League. They have not been informed if they will form part of the 24-team league that is due to start in February 2023.
Serial league winners and current representative in CAF tournaments FC Platinum were apparently not invited to the indaba.
The most solid information pertaining to Zimbabwe is that the country will receive US$1m from the proceeds of the tournament.
Here is how the tournament will be shaped.
The competition will have 24 teams divided into three regionalised groups (North, Central/West, South/East) with eight teams per group and a maximum of three teams per country
The teams will be from over 16 different countries, representing approximatively 1 billion people
The competition will have 197 matches, with a maximum of 21 matches played by the finalists, and promotion/relegation play-offs
The tournament will be divided and run over 10 months. Analysts have called for the tournament organisers to be clearer on how teams will be relegated or promoted and on how clubs will be selected into the league to begin with. All these details are good to know.
For Zimbabwe, though, the biggest detail is that the tournament is organised by FIFA.
ZIFA are currently suspended from all tournaments organised by FIFA, meaning if this tournament is concluded any time soon, there will be no Zimbabwean teams drawn to compete in it.
Football analysts across Africa have questioned the logistics of the Super League and said African football first needs to address key challenges before jumping ahead. Some see it as yet another way in which FIFA is exerting influence on CAF, whose President Patrice Motsepe, the FIFA President Gianni Infantino, helped to attain the post unopposed.
Cape Town City FC owner John Comitis, who is widely regarded as one of the most astute football brains in South Africa, called the project a “super-silly idea”.
“The Super League will kill African club football,” he warned. “You can switch off the lights on the domestic leagues,” he told the BBC when the league was announced.
His view is not universally shared. Many believe that the injection of funds into local football will benefit the game.
However, there are concerns over the impact of the League on weaker leagues with little sponsorship, such as the PSL. The average football player in Zimbabwe earns less than US$300 a month, if their team is winning and they are collecting win bonuses.
Most clubs earn nowhere near this. Fans have driven away from games in droves, leaving clubs with little match-day income. The local match day experience has suffered terribly over the years. Television rights, which make up the bulk of football club incomes globally, are not in place locally. Corporate sponsorship, outside the Sakunda packages for Highlanders and Dynamos as well as the package for Bulawayo Chiefs, are largely small.
When South Africa were in international isolation, they built their clubs into institutions, creating heroes out of their own players and building legends around teams like Moroka Swallows, Jomo Cosmos, Umtata Bucks, Free State Stars and others.
The names of their styles are also welded into folklore. Heel extensions (pass with the back of the boot), shibobo and others abound. They name their grounds after their heroes. Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe Stadium is named after a player from the 1970s. By appreciating their own, they stand on their feet and are stronger.
Zimbabwe cannot keep looking for superheroes. It is time to create our own.
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