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The project has been in the pipeline since it was first
suggested by FIFA president Gianni Infantino in early 2020 and
met with almost none of the derision and outrage that followed a
similar attempt in Europe last year.
Only the players' union in South Africa, in a statement this
week, has criticised the plan, saying: "Professional football in
South Africa and Africa could be at risk if the resolution to
commence with the Super League is implemented and there may be
no return from the wreckage that a Super League can become."
Motsepe has promised sponsorship and revenue returns previously
unheard of for African football, where the annual Champions
League winner earns $2.5-million in prize money.
He has claimed, at several previous news conferences, that the
Super League will allow clubs to pay top talent wages to match
those in Europe and therefore allow African teams to keep their
best players.
The Super League, which officials told Reuters is likely to be
named the African Football League to disassociate it with the
negative connotations of last year's flopped European Super
League plans, will have 24 teams and start in August next year.
It will have $100-million in prize money with $11.6 for the
winner. CAF also intends paying each African football
association $1-milion annually from the league's earnings. There
are 54 member associations of CAF.
It is not clear whether CAF have finalised the list of clubs,
but they will come from 16 different nations with a maximum of
three per country.
They will play a group competition first, divided into three
groups of eight clubs, before the majority of clubs move onto an
American-style playoff system, including wild card berths.
CAF plan to continue with their club showpiece Champions League
but officials said there were plans to revert back to a
two-legged knockout competition, dispensing with the group
phase.
Infantino, when he raised the concept at a CAF seminar in
Morocco in February 2020, said: "We have to take the 20 best
African clubs and put them in an Africa league. Such a league
could make at least US$200 million in revenue, which would put
it among the top ten in the world."
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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