The landscape of the proposed African Super League continues to change as even a possible change of name is in the offing.
The initial proposed August kick-off is no longer feasible as October is being considered as a possible take off period.
Also altered is the initial 24-team format which has been drastically reduced to eight. The composition of the eight club has also generated controversy.
CAF billionaire president, Patrice Motsepe told South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in Johannesburg that the approached sponsors of the $100 million prize money are not happy with the word ‘Super’ attached to the competition.
The CAF president failed to give the details about the prize money, the format or the names of the teams for the first edition.
But according to AFP, the line-up of the eight clubs will include the 2023 Champions League semi-finalists – Al Ahly of Egypt, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Esperance of Tunisia and Motsepe-owned Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
The French news agency also speculated that Nigeria’s Enyimba along with TP Mazembe of DR Congo, Simba of Tanzania and Petro Atletico of Angola may also take part.
AFP however reasoned that the final list may anger some countries, especially Algeria whose clubs have been excluded despite good performances in recent seasons.
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Chabab Belouizdad have reached the quarter-finals of the last three Champions Leagues and USM Alger won the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup this season.
Enyimba have not reached the Champions League knockout stage since 2011, but it would be unthinkable to have an Africa Super League without the most populous country in the continent.
Mazembe are the equal second most successful club in CAF competitions with 11 titles, but have fared poorly in recent seasons, losing five of six 2023 Confederation Cup group matches.
Motsepe said CAF “know the dates” but did not reveal them, then explained why some major sponsors have a problem with the title.
Negative connotations
“Some sponsors say the history of the Super League in Europe was not good and if you associate the name ‘super’ with a football competition, it has negative connotations.
“A name change is, therefore, on the agenda,” conceded Motsepe. A planned European Super League collapsed within 48 hours in 2021 after a backlash from fans, governments and players, which forced nine of the 12 teams who signed up to pull out.
The founding members were Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Motsepe and FIFA president Gianni Infantino launched the Super League last August in the Tanzanian town of Arusha amid much fanfare.
“The Super League is one of the most exciting developments in the history of African football… our objective is to see our clubs compete with the best in the world,” Motsepe said.
“The intention is to use $100 million as prize money and to do that every year so that the club which wins gets $11.5 million.”
CAF club competition entrants have constantly complained about prize money, saying it does not even cover expenses like travel and accommodation.
The Cairo based confederation did increase prize money last season with the Champions League winners receiving four million dollars — up from $2.5 million.
There was also a boost to the top prize in the Confederation Cup — the African equivalent of the Europa League — with the winners pocketing two million dollars.
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