Confederation Cup: CAF boss explains why he may abolish the competition

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FOOTBALL Confederation Cup: CAF boss explains why he may abolish the competition

Joel Omotto 12:06 - 13.01.2024

CAF president Patrice Motsepe has hinted at scrapping the Confederation Cup over a number of reasons

Confederation of African Football (CAF) is considering scrapping the Confederation Cup over what it terms lack of commercial value.

The Confederation Cup has been Africa club football’s second tier competition since 2004 but it could cease to exist 20 years after its inauguration as CAF considers it not commercially viable, hence the decision to abolish it.

While lauding the money-minting African Football League, whose inaugural edition was held last year, CAF president Patrice Motsepe said his organisation is looking at making the competition even bigger while ensuring the Champions League also generates revenue which might mean doing away with the Confederation Cup.

“All the clubs that participated in the African Football League we gave them one million dollars and said use it to buy players but also use it to help you with the transport because when I was president of Mamelodi Sundowns and they won the Champions League in 2016, the prize money was a pittance in comparison with the money they got paid,” Motsepe told journalists in Abidjan on the eve of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

“So, we want to make the Champions League and African Football League more commercially viable and make sure that the clubs make money out of them. We may have to have the Confederation Cup cancelled. 

“We cannot have so many competitions, the CHAN is a competition that two days when I became president I said cancel it. It is a competition that the nations play players in Africa and I am not even sure that it makes sense.”

It remains to be seen when the changes will be effected but it appears African club football is set for a major shift.

The Confederation Cup, whose winners pocket $2 million (Ksh316 million), has not been as attractive to clubs over the years with many complaining of the high costs incurred to travel and attend matches across the continent yet the return is so low.

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