Are Gianni Infantino’s proposals for an African Super League set to escalate?

Gianni Infantino’s proposed African Super League appears set to be greenlit by the Confederation of African Football after a claim made by the CEO of Tanzanian giants Simba SC.

Taking to Twitter while at Friday’s Caf General Assembly, Barbara Gonzalez dropped a major hint that a big shift in the African football landscape was on its way.

“It was great catching up with Fifa President Gianni Infantino on the sidelines of the Caf elections,” she wrote on her @bvrbvra Twitter handle, accompanied with a photo of the Fifa chief.

It was great catching up with @FIFAcom President, Gianni Infantino on the sidelines of the #CAFElections2021. The rollout of the African Super League with 20 permanent member clubs is underway. We look forward to having @SimbaSCTanzania participate soon 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/hLjYMREWZG— Barbara Gonzalez (@bvrbvra) March 12, 2021

“The rollout of the African Super League with 20 permanent member clubs is underway. We look forward to having Simba SC participate soon.”

It’s been over a year since Infantino’s hopes for an African Super League were initially revealed, although it is not clear whether his intentions are to supplant or supplement the Caf Champions League.

Speaking in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2020, Infantino suggested that such a new competition—involving regular competition between Africa’s biggest clubs—could generate over $200 million in revenue, and would become one of the world’s top sports leagues.

However, while such a league could drive considerable investment into the African game, it raises concerns about the rich becoming richer and a lack of sporting meritocracy about which teams are eligible to take part.

Dr Patrice Motsepe’s first words upon his election as Caf president: “I thank my brother Gianni, for the vision and the encouragement of unity. We can only deal with the challenges of Africa when we are united.”https://t.co/NkoCRqPzNt#CAFElections2021 #Motsepe pic.twitter.com/8HD54Ukq5E— Ed Dove (@EddyDove) March 12, 2021

Similarly, there would be reservations about how the continent could be fairly represented, with significant disparity between the strength of North African teams compared to other regions and less then half the country’s 56 federations set to be able to compete in a 20-team league.

Issues of logistics, travel costs and scheduling could all represent significant hurdles that Infantino must find a way to overcome, although Gonzalez’s claim appears to suggest that talks are in an advanced stage.

On Friday, Infantino’s preferred candidate Dr Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed as the new Caf President, replacing the disgraced Ahmad Ahmad, whose reign was marred by corruption and scandal.

In a 10-point manifesto released ahead of the withdrawal of his presidential rivals, Motsepe outlined that good governance, investment in Africa’s sporting infrastructure and statutory reforms would be among his top priorities after taking up the appointment.

In 2020, it was reported that Fifa had proposed a European Super League, although the proposals were rejected earlier this year.

source:- goal