Africa Super League name change mooted with tournament facing delays and fewer teams

CAF president Patrice Motsepe says some sponsors unhappy with 'negative connotations' associated with the aborted European Super League

Al Ahly were crowned CAF Champions League winners on June 11, 2023 after beating Morocco's Wydad Casablanca 3-2 on aggregate. Both teams are expected to be part of the new Africa Super League. AFP

The first edition of the Africa Super League may undergo a name change before it even begins with some sponsors unhappy with the word 'Super', said Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe.

The South African billionaire Motsepe told public broadcaster SABC in Johannesburg that the competition could be re-branded due to the "negative connotations" associated with the aborted European Super League.

"Some sponsors say the history of the Super League in Europe was not good and if you associate the name 'super' with a football competition, it has negative connotations."

"A name change is, therefore, on the agenda," conceded Motsepe, who succeeded Malagasy Ahmad Ahmad as the boss of African football by acclamation in Morocco two years ago.

A planned European Super League collapsed within 48 hours in 2021 after a backlash from fans, governments and players, which forced nine of the 12 teams who signed up to pull out.

The Africa Super League was launched in August 2022 as an annual competition to bring together the biggest teams on the continent featuring in three groups of eight teams, ahead of a knockout stage starting at the round of 16 and with a promotion/relegation system.

However, it has already run into problems before a ball has been kicked.

Reports suggest the first edition, originally slated for August, will now kick off two months late in October and have only eight clubs instead of the planned 24.

Motsepe did not give details about prize money, the format, or the names of the qualifiers for the first edition, which it is believed will be staged in October and November.

The line-up for the scaled down tournament will include 2023 CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt, runners-up Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Esperance of Tunisia and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, according to AFP.

TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Enyimba of Nigeria, Simba of Tanzania and Petro Atletico of Angola may also take part.

This list is sure to anger some countries, especially Algeria, whose clubs have been excluded despite good performances in recent seasons.

Chabab Belouizdad have reached the quarter-finals of the last three Champions Leagues and USM Alger won the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup this season.

Enyimba have not reached the Champions League knockout stage since 2011, but it would be unthinkable to have an Africa Super League without the most populous country in the continent.

Mazembe are the joint-second most successful club in CAF competitions with 11 titles, but have fared poorly in recent seasons, losing five of six 2023 Confederation Cup group matches.

The CAF has also been crticised for projecting high financial returns in a continent where many countries lack infrastructure and incur high travel costs for fans and teams.

"The Super League is one of the most exciting developments in the history of African football ... our objective is to see our clubs compete with the best in the world," Motsepe said.

"The intention is to use $100 million as prize money and to do that every year so that the club which wins gets $11.5 million."