The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, was cagey about when the mooted CAF Super League will commence. Motsepe was speaking at the Council of Southern African Footbal l Associations (Cosafa) Congress and Draw in Sandton on Friday.
The CAF president spoke about the away goal rule which knocked Mamelodi Sundowns out of the CAF Champions league without losing a single match. He also touched on the importance of increasing the prize money for competitions.
The Inaugural CAF Super Cup was supposedly planned to start later this year. Eight teams will part-take including the one South Africa’s representative, namely Mamelodi Sundowns.
But Motsepe was vague about the league.
“Good progress has been made. The challenge I have as president and exco, you must give African football that is worthy. I need great financial resources for African football as possible.”
Negative football
Sundowns, had to bow out of the CAF Champions League semi-final on the away goal rule against Wydad Casablanca from Morocco. Without losing a match in the tournament, Sundowns become the first team to pay the ultimate price.
Some critics say the rule encourages negative football, while Motsepe believes more goals need to be scored.
“You have to discourage defensive football. Supporters go to the stadium to see goals, excitement and competitiveness, so for now we will leave things the way they are, we want clubs to be more offensive.”
Motsepe emphasised the importance of Cosafa national teams doing well on the continent and globally.
Only two Cosafa nations, South Africa and Zambia, have won the Africa Cup of Nation; while only Sundowns and Orlando Pirates have won CAF-Inter Club competitions.
“Cosafa has to perform significantly better on the African continent. Cosafa national teams and Cosafa clubs have to succeed more. I was asking them when was the last time a last Cosafa nation won the Afcon, it was in Zambia in 2012 and SA in 1996.”
Speaking about increasing the prize money in CAF competitions, Motsepe announced the Champions League winners will walk away with more than R77 million and the Confed Cup winners will pocket more than R36 million.
Meanwhile, the draw for this year’s Cosafa Cup taking place in Durban in July was also concluded.
South Africa is in Group A alongside Namibia, Eswatini and Botswana.
The draw has been made for the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Cup 2023 that will be staged in Durban from July 5-16, where defending champions Zambia will take on Malawi, Seychelles and Comoros in their pool following in a new format for the competition. Read more: https://t.co/uC59OnWWZr pic.twitter.com/SzvHuW2ivr
— COSAFA (@COSAFAMEDIA) May 26, 2023
– Report by Vincent Sitsula
CAF president Patrice Motsepe talks about Super Cup at the Cosafa Congress:
