African Super League first meeting in Douala as Ghana Premier League reps arrive in Cameroon
African club football could be reaching another milestone with a proposed conception of the African Super League which will end the current Caf Champions League.
Just recently, the continent’s football saw a successful first women club football competition (Caf Women’s Champions League) hosted in Egypt and won by South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns after beating Ghana’a Hasaacas Ladies in final.
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Another major achievement in the making, African Super League was proposed by Caf championed by President Patrice Motsepe and supported by FIFA with President Gianni Infantino spearheading African’s attempt to bring into existence the new club football competition.
In November 2021, Caf through Executive Council finally approved the existence of the African Super League- which is revenue focus- during its Extraordinary Assembly meeting in Cairo.
“The super league for Africa is a new competition because all of those other competitions are locked into agreements and the money they get is not enough,” Motsepe said when speaking in a news conference in Ghana in October 2021.
“There have to be fundamental changes in how we do things in football so that African football can be noticed across the world. We do not want aid from anybody. We can work on our own and that’s what I am here to do.”
With its massive progression basically from conception to approval, the first African Super League meeting- which may involve top ranked officials of African top clubs is set to take place this weekend in Cameroon.
This is the first time African club officials have come together to talk about the Super League of African and the closest the competition has come in its start- September 2023 if nothing changes.
The Ghana Premier is among the few African leagues given huge recognition with its clubs Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak like big clubs in Egypt, Morocco, South African, Algeria, Tunisia, Dr. Congo and Nigeria expected to start the competition straightforward.
However, clubs in lower countries (Caf are yet to issue criteria and categorizations for the competition) are expected to engage in play-off before gaining access to the African Super League finals.
Ghana Premier League two biggest clubs Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak could get automatic participation of the African Super League after receiving invitation for the tournament’s first meeting in Douala.
Kotoko Board Chairman Dr. Kwame Kyei and Hearts of Oak Chairman Togbe Afedi XIV represent the Ghana Premier League and arrived in Douala on Saturday, the day for first African Super League meeting.
According to reports in Cameroon, officials of African top clubs Wydad Athletic Club, Raja Casablanca, Al Ahly, Zamalek, Esperance de Tunis, Etoile Sportive du Sahel, Mamelodi Sundowns and TP Mazembe have arrived in Douala for the meeting.
With the format, participation clubs and prize money not yet determined, they are among the things to be discussed. The start of the Super League is in September 2023, and will put an end to the Caf Champions League which is currently at Group Stage phase.
In 2021-2022 Caf Champions League, 16 teams of Al Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, Al-Hilal, Al-Merrikh, AmaZulu, ES Setif, Horoya, Raja Casablanca, ES Sahel, ES Tunis, CR Belouizdad, Jwaneng Galaxy, Petro de Luanda, Sagrada Esperance, Wydad Casablanca and Zamalek have been put into four groups.
The Caf Champions League group stages start next weekend 11th February 2022 with interesting fixtures to be witness.
After the first African Super League meeting on Saturday, club officials will join Caf and FIFA officials to watch the 2021 Afcon final on Sunday.
It’s understood that African club officials have been given VVIP tickets to witness Afcon’s final game between Senegal and Egypt at the Paul Biya Stadium the next day.
The African Super League is inspired by the European project- which immediately set forth forming the European Super League but later failed. Like the failed Euro Super League, the African Super League is geared towards generating additional income for clubs and their member associations according to Motsepe.
Motsepe has also assured that CAF has ” observed the attempts of some big European clubs to form a European Super League and will learn from their experience and pitfalls”.
In early 2021, European giants Real Madrid, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City signed agreement to form the European Super League that amid at generating billions of pounds for clubs.
However, Premier League clubs led by Chelsea first to pulled out of the agreement before other clubs in Spain and Italy followed suite leading to somehow the ghost European Super League though there are hopes to revive proceedings and bring back the supposed mega money European competition.
Like in Europe where fund generation has become a priority in the modern game, Africa’s football governing body Caf is looking for additional revenue and Patrice Motsepe said such a project should “contribute to African football becoming competitive and self-sustaining.”
The breed of the African Super League can boost advertisement and sponsorship environments. Well known sponsorship brands could see the African competition as lucrative and offer a sponsorship helping hand as there are many other ways the Super League can add to revenue creation for African football.
