The kick-off of the new eight-team African Football League was confirmed for Oct. 20 by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who made the announcement at the Confederation of Africa Football's (CAF) General Assembly in Abidjan on Thursday.
The competition has been drastically scaled down from the
original proposal of 24 teams.
"It will have eight great teams, which will be followed
in the future with a bigger version," Infantino told delegates. "We
have to invest in African club football as well as national team football.
"It is our responsibility, duty and task, and with the
work and contribution of all of us as a team, we will succeed."
Not much more is known of the competition a little over
three months before it is set to kick off, with CAF yet to formally confirm the
participating teams.
However, sources have told Reuters the eight teams are set
to be: South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who are owned by the family
of CAF president Patrice Motsepe, Petro Atletico from Angola, Democratic
Republic of Congo's TP Mazembe, Al Ahly from Egypt, Horoya from Guinea, Wydad Casablanca
from Morocco, Tanzania's Simba and Esperance of Tunisia.
The competition will run concurrently with CAF's Champions
League for domestic league winners across the continent and is not a
replacement.
Details around broadcasters, sponsors and logistics also
remain under wraps for now. When initially proposed, CAF promised $100 million
in prize money with $11.5m for the winner.
One of the spin-offs was to be a solidarity fund that will
see each of the 54 member associations of CAF receive $1m-per-year towards
football development. It is not clear if that remains the case.
Motsepe has spoken at length in recent years of needing to
improve African football to make it more appealing to a global audience, with
the new league said to be key to that.
"We have recognised for many years that African
football players have been among the best in the world, but we have to improve
the appeal of African football, its commercial viability and its capacity to
sustain itself," Motsepe told delegates on Thursday.
He also called on the association president and governments
across the continent to invest more in the game.
"We have a huge amount of confidence that the progress
we are making and with the talent we have in Africa, it will result in an
African nation winning the World Cup [one day].
"But we have to spend money on coaching the coaches,
opening academies, and ensuring professional clubs have sufficient
resources."
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