The Confederation of African Football ( CAF) under Patrice Motsepe has officially announced the new name of the proposed Super League.
The league was initially slated to commence in August but was postponed by two months due to the difficulties encountered in setting up this first edition, particularly on the financial front.
The competition is expected to supplant the Champions League and the CAF Cup to become the new showcase for interclub competitions on the continent and generate nearly 100 million dollars, including 2.5 million for each participant. This should enable clubs to structure themselves and develop further.
The football body on Sunday afternoon finally announced the new name to be ‘African Football League’.
This decision for a name change was taken in view of the negative image conveyed by the Super League concept when European clubs tried to introduce it, before backtracking in the face of strong opposition from the governing bodies and fans.
“We have decided to change the name of the Super League to the African Football League.
“The African Football League kicks off next October,” he added.
“It will be the best league thanks to a huge prize fund,” Motsepe revealed in an interview with beIN Sport.
However, there is no change to the prize money as the eventual winner will receive – 6 million dollars (5.6 million euros). And there will only be eight participating teams. Initially, there were to be 24 clubs, with teams divided into three groups based on their geographical region: North Africa, Central and West Africa, and Southern and East Africa. However, that idea was later scrapped due to earlier stated concerns.
The eight clubs for the launch include: Al Ahly (Egypt), Esperance Tunis (Tunisia), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Horoya (Guinea), Petro Atletico (Angola) and Simba (Tanzania).
It remains to be seen how this African Super League will actually be financed.
Credit: Sportnewsafrica, Brace Radio
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