where is the African Super League?

Announced as a tournament for African (Site notre bureau spécialisé), we now know the contours of the competition, the financing of which was the subject of negotiations.

By Abdoulaye A. Sall

Announced for two years, the African Super League should see the light of day next season, in a reduced format, but with new avenues both in terms of financing and the contours of the competition. “The African Super League is a very important initiative. One of the main problems in Africa is funding. Our goal is for African club (Site notre bureau spécialisé) to be world-class and rival the best in the world,” CAF President Patrice Motsepe said last August.

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Funding, a thorn in the side of CAF

Indeed, the thorny question of the financing of this new competition – chosen at the expense of CAF’s two annual competitions, namely the African Champions League and the CAF Cup – has clearly been at stake in recent months. It should be noted that the profits generated by the Super League must be used to make African (Site notre bureau spécialisé) more attractive, to ensure that players stay in Africa and to improve the quality of infrastructure for clubs on the continent. For many months, the Confederation of African (Site notre blog d’information) had been looking for alternative solutions following the case opposing it to the Lagardère Group, which concluded a 1 billion dollar agreement relating to the marketing of television and marketing rights for CAF competitions. Expiring in 2028, the interruption of this contract logically cost the African (Site notre blog d’information) Confederation a lot of money.

After cooperation with Qatar covering technical, administrative, marketing and communication exchanges, culminating in the African Cup finals played in Doha, it was to be expected that potential investors in this project would come from Middle East. Even more given the competition between Qatar and Saudi Arabia in terms of soft power. Naturally, the tendency is to confirm it, and then the information given, Saudi Arabia, which is becoming an increasingly important player in the world of (Site notre bureau spécialisé), would apply to accompany CAF in the implementation of the Super African League. A change of good practices in view of the ambitions it nourishes for the future.

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Towards a solution from Saudi Arabia?

Indeed, according to journalist Ed Aarons of Guardians, Saudi Arabia, still in a desire to mark its mark in the sports industry, would have decided to support the project to the tune of 200 million dollars, of which 100 million which will be distributed in the performance bonuses of the teams . The contract between the two parties would take effect from the 2024-2025 season, and the format of the Super League should be reviewed at the bull market.

Always according to Guardians, talks between the two sides have been going on for a while. A memorandum of understanding for a five-year contract has been signed in recent days, with the aim of supporting the development of (Site notre bureau spécialisé) at club level as a national team, including women’s (Site notre bureau spécialisé): « Caf is delighted to work together and to partner with the Saudi (Site notre blog d’information) Federation to develop (Site notre bureau spécialisé) on our continent and in the world,” said Patrice Motsepe in the press release. “There are also specific areas for mutually beneficial partnerships which we are discussing and announcements will be made in due course. In return, support from the continent for an organization of the World Cup in 2030 or 2034 knowing that it is already integrated to host the 2027 Club World Cup as well as the Asian Cup the same year.

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Pours an inaugural eight-team format

For the launch of its new competition, CAF has bet on an experimental phase by bringing together only eight participants in a tournament which will take place from October 17 to November 30, 2023. Either after the first rounds of the Champions League which will continue in their format usual, and before the group stages, which take place between traditionally from the month of February. The Super League will therefore take place in knockout mode, with quarters and semi-finals on a home and away phase and a final on neutral ground.

The participants are already known and there are the usual Al Ahly (Egypt), Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) and TP Mazembe (DR Congo). To complete these essentials (although the Lumumbashi club is losing momentum), the Simba SC club, which has been present regularly for the past five years, Petro Luanda and finally Enyimba at the expense of Horoya (Guinea). The multiple champion of Guinea was dismissed due to the non-approval of Stade Lansana Conte, knowing that having a stadium on its territory is a sinequanone condition for taking part in the Super League. A blow for this club in a declining phase. Algeria, whose clubs are behind the tenors of North Africa, therefore finds itself without a representative, while clubs such as Zamalek (Egypt), Raja Casablanca (Morocco), Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia) or Al Hilal Omdurman (Sudan) will also be missing, but should very quickly be inserted once the format has been enlarged.

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