African Football League - Red herring or Silver bullet for Club football?
What are the implications of the latest African club championship for clubs on the continent, from a commercial and talent development point of view?
African Football League logo - courtesy of CAF
A little over 2 weeks ago, at a swanky hotel in Dar es Salaam Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) and FIFA top brass launched the African Football League. After 4 years of a start-stop situation after the announcement was made it was about time the tourney got kicking.
And kicking it did!
Hosting what will arguably be Africa's richest club championship opening ceremony, Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa's 60,000 capacity national stadium was filled to the rafts. Our East Africa counterparts even made the FIFA Gianni Infantino speak the most Swahili he has ever spoken in his life!
Back to matters African football, the African Football League has been buzzing across the continent for the past two weeks. The Finals have Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. - South Africa's league winners, 6 years in a row facing off with Morocco's Wydad Athletic Club popularly known as Wydad Casablanca - playing home-and-away matches this and on 11th November.
When the winner takes US$ 4 million to the bank next week, will this mark the dawn of a great era in club football or have we muddied the waters for Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) 's Champions' League tournament?
Prize Money - The AFL's is $4 million vs Champions' League $4 million - already plagued with a busy calendar, will the prize money lure the clubs to spare one and focus on the other? Or will the clubs go all out and compete for spoils in both?
24-teams vs 64-strong league - the AFL will look to attract 24 of the top clubs in Africa - divided into 3 ( North, Central/West and East/South) playing from 16 countries. The Champions League's been doing the 64 clubs knocking off, whittling down to 16 teams - divided into 4 groups before the winners of each face off again in the semis and Final.
'Rich' vs Ordinary Clubs - a similar idea of a Super League had been mooted by the influential UEFA which was quickly condemned by critics and FIFA. This does defy the apt idiom 'What's good for the goose is good for the gander?'
Media Rights - the AFL's been shrouded in secrecy and only a few days ago, Qatari's beIN MEDIA GROUP Bein Sports bought the rights, with FIFA+ having streamed the games in the past two weeks. What is concerning is that it has not attracted continental interest as would be for a lucrative deal. Things that make you go hmmm...
Reform or Refrain? For African clubs championships, there has been the swell storm of reforms to be more inclusive and more lucrative. However, the AFL does not seem to carry the same weight and enthusiasm that would be associated with club football of yore in Africa. It also remains to be seen if this will be the silver bullet that can nurture and hold African footballing talent, reducing the Euro and now Arab exodus. When the Final is played on 11th November and the African Football League kicks off proper in 2024-25, it will remain to be seen what impact the new tourney on the block will bring. May the best '...th' win!