PARIS (Reuters) – The African Football League, a newly established continental super league comprising of eight teams, commenced to a full house of 60,000 spectators in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on Friday, with the home team Simba drawing 2-2 against Al Ahly, Africa’s most successful team from Egypt, in the first leg of the quarter-final. The two teams are set to meet again in Cairo on Tuesday for the return fixture.
The initial concept proposed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to the member countries of the Confederation of African Football at the 2020 congress bears minimal resemblance to the current eight-team competition. At that time, Infantino suggested a 24-team tournament with $200 million in prize money, aiming to retain top talents in Africa and potentially elevate the continent as a leader in global football. Infantino, accompanied by a high-profile FIFA delegation, attended Friday’s match in the Tanzanian capital.
However, nearly four years after the idea was first proposed, the league has begun as a knockout competition that will conclude in 17 days. Each participating team is guaranteed $1 million, while the winner will receive $4 million—equivalent to the prize money for the African Champions League.
Despite the failure of similar plans in Europe following club withdrawals in response to widespread opposition, Africa persisted with the notion of establishing a continental super league. So far, only one sponsor, Visit Saudi—the tourism authority of Saudi Arabia—has been secured for the African Football League, with the agreement announced last week.
When questioned about the source of funding for the new competition, CAF President Patrice Motsepe humorously told reporters at a press conference held prior to the match, “We pray very hard. It comes from heaven.”
CAF previously stated that the current eight-team format serves as a precursor to a larger competition scheduled for next year. The remaining six clubs participating in this year’s event will debut their matches over the weekend, and the aggregate winners will proceed to the semi-finals.
(Editing by Toby Davis)
