The Confederation of African Football Associations (CAF) is perhaps one of the most important demonstrations that, Africans can adopt and adapt to modernity faster and better than most people do always claim. Created in Lisbon, Portugal in 1957, CAF this year February 8^th 2007 celebrated her golden jubilee with a sense of joy and also a feeling of accomplishment. But she is equally aware that, she still has a long way to go, in particular, in her effort to make national leagues independent from governments and also making them financially viable. Financially viable national football leagues will stem the expatriation of young African talents to Europe and currently to Asia and the Americas, while also guarantying those players who desire not to leave, a sound financial future. 

Another benefit of financially viable African football/soccer leagues is that, besides stemming expatriations of young talents who often end up being exploited and wasted in Europe and currently, in Asia, is that, African leagues will become attractive, because talented players shall stay to entertain lovers of good football. Since the creation of CAF by four African states namely: Sudan, South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia, the objective of the organisation has been double: the promotion of football/soccer on the continent and also unite the linguistic, regional, religious and racially divided continent. Those were also the goals that, CAF’s pioneer chair, General Salem of Egyptian nationality had, besides the mammoth responsibility not only to midwife: CAF, but to make her effectively operational.

Pacesetter

Under late General Salem, CAF constantly desired to improve football on the continent and equally help realise African Unity. While CAF didn’t and still doesn’t have the same vision of African Unity as African politicians do, it is important to recall that, African Unity was and is still one of the several unrealised grand objectives of her political alter ego, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now, African Union (AU) for five decades now, courtesy the well peppered rhetoric of some African politicians. Late General Salem was a pacesetter. Hence all those who have succeeded him at the helm of affair of the continental soccer governing body: CAF, have always set for themselves objectives and challenges for African soccer, which will remain as their own legacy, long after they are gone.

CAF’s current chair, the Cameroonian Issa Hayatou, is not different from the 7 other former chairs of the continental soccer governing body. He too wants to leave his marks on African soccer. And since he took over the helms of African soccer governing body, he has been making amends with the unique aim of making African soccer better and also worth investing in financially. Amongst the renovations he has brought or overseen, is the increase in the number of national teams at the final phase of the African Cup of Nations tournament, from eight to twenty and also the change of format of the continental club soccer competitions: Champions League and CAF Cup. Both continental club soccer competitions are modelled along those of the much more experienced and wealthy UEFA of Europe.

Results

Ever since the remodelling of CAF’s continental soccer competitions, the results have been immediate. The first, CAF Champion’s league now attracts investors/sponsors. Hence she is currently tagged MTN CAF Champions League. Besides being sponsored by the South African mobile Telecommunications giant: MTN, other sponsors of the MTN Champions League are: the American eatery giant: McDonalds, the American food & beverage giant: Pepsi Co,  Standard Bank of South Africa, Western Union, Simba, and a mineral water company: Marwa. The other sponsor of CAF activities is the Nigerian second Telecommunications giant: Globacom. But the Nigerian telecom giant focuses only on the sponsorship of the best African soccer player award ceremonies, which is an annual ceremony. The lavished ceremony which were formerly organised annually in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, will according to Globacom management henceforth become rotational. It is perhaps the hope of the promoters to make all parts and regions of the continent to be part of African soccer ceremonies; hence they want it to be celebrated in different African capitals.

The refurbished and new version of CAF Champions league now tagged MTN CAF Champions League is in her 11^th edition. It is a lucrative tournament that has eight best African soccer clubs divided in two groups, competing to lift the most prestigious silverware in club competition on the continent. And those that, qualify for the semi finals bags the sum of $ 3.5 million, while those that reach the finals go home with more than double the sum granted to semi finalists.  While the CAF champions league attracts sponsors and live TV commentaries done  by a Benin Republic based broadcaster: LC2 International, CAF Cup’s final phases also made up  of the best African soccer clubs,  has not yet started attracting sponsors, although CAF Cup’s matches are broadcast on television, albeit a week late.

Need for more sponsors

It would be a welcomed development if  either Globacom of Nigeria, Western Union, McDonalds, Standard Bank or other companies based in Africa or out of Africa, could as from next year enter into negotiations with CAF, in a bid to sponsor CAF Cup competitions, the same way  as MTN is doing with CAF Champions League. The financial benefits generated by African clubs in the competition above mentioned or during the African Cup of Nations matches might be a token compared to what UEFA clubs rakes just for taking part in final group phase of competitions organised by Europe’s soccer governing body. But for Africa, the current sponsorship level is a good start. But there is room though for CAF to attract more sponsorship for her competitions. For more sponsorships generates revenues, not only for the continental football governing body, it also generates revenues for clubs that take part in CAF competitions, thus helping to keep African players longer on the continent.

One way to attract more sponsorship will be for CAF to extend the MTN CAF Champions League final phases from the current two pools to six, with the best two clubs in each pool qualifying for knockout stages. The advantage in this suggestion is that, clubs from all parts of the continent will be represented. Thus attracting and inciting companies from zones that have so far been excluded because of the dominations of North, West and South African clubs. Such companies in such zones will see the necessity to sponsor CAF competitions, in an effort to make their products known on the wider continent. While some major companies in the regions that dominated African club football will also see the importance of exposing their products to parts of Africa that they don’t often have access to. This simply means CAF could invent her brand of soccer/football affirmative actions, by granting some special waiver to clubs from countries such as Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion, Comoros, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Cape Verde and Sao Tome & Principe. The second source for CAF to generate more revenues and exposure for herself and African national teams and clubs, is for her to rethink the scheduling of African Nations Cup tournaments.

Change of hosting period African Cup of Nations

While at club level the timing of her competitions is of no problem, but the present period of January, chosen by CAF to stage the African Cup of Nations tournament is creating frictions between African soccer players who ply their trade in European leagues with their countries. These frictions occur because, some African countries need their sons who are professional footballers, mostly in Europe to come and defend national prides in international competitions. It should be noted that, African players are not the only ones facing the same dilemma. Recently, there were the cases between French division one club sides: Olympique Lyonais (equivalent to premier league in England) and the French national squad concerning Eric Abidal (former player of Lyon) and Chelsea Football Club (England) against the same French national team.

This time around, the bond of contention was Claude Makelele (Chelsea’s midfielder and player of the French national squad). And concerning Africa, some courageous top flight African soccer players such as the Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o and the Ghanaian Michael Essien have recently expressed their wish to see CAF rethink her programming of the African Cup of Nations tournaments. While others such as the Nigerian Obi John Mikel has simply refused to show up for one of his country’s competitions.

It is the role of CAF to look for a solution that will conciliate European clubs that are investing in African soccer players and the countries of the concerned players, which need their sons whenever they want to defend their national prides. The current situation whereby African players must have to endure pressures from their countries and employers (clubs) are creating dilemmas to those players and may also be affecting their performances on the field. For in a situation where African players chooses to stay with their clubs, that it must be insisted and made clear, are the true guarantors of their future material/financially, they are labelled unpatriotic and handed out in some occasions by some National FA officials for public lynching.  On the other hand, as it always happens, whenever African players decides to honour national calls, they may be ruled patriotic, but they risk at best, loosing their first playing positions in their clubs, or worst, they will destroy their careers and also the financial and league ranking ambitions of their clubs in their national and continental leagues. This sad prospect always happened to European clubs, especially in France, where clubs have many African players and more, the tactics of these clubs gravitates around those African players.

Consequence on professional African players

While some African countries consider soccer and her players as mere utensils to prop up the prestige of the government and country, it must be reminded them that, football/soccer attracts big investments, thus making her one of the rapidly expanding businesses in the world today. And since soccer is a big business, players who are employees, must be competitive. Players  do not only need to be competitive, they must also know that, they are like commodities and there is no China in the soccer world currently to drive prices up or make players, especially African players to behave flippantly to their employers. Currently being a skilful soccer player is no longer a benchmark for a meteoric rise to financial stardom. There is also the need for players to be readily available for their clubs.

The danger that lurks for African players who in most clubs are the core of their team’s strategies, but who will be leaving en mass in January 2008, to honour the African Cup of Nations scheduled for Ghana is enormous. It is enormous for both African players and their European based clubs.  For European clubs, the month of January is a crucial phase in Europeans national leagues and clubs will want to make maximum points and the African players, while being talented, most European topflight clubs can’t afford losing their national leagues standings and money because their African players have gone to play the African Cup of Nations. Hence, soon, some top European clubs will start refusing to employ African soccer players. Such decision has not yet been taken, but most clubs are considering it.

Benefits of changing the hosting period of African Cup of Nations

The immediate consequence of such decision if ever taken will be that, African players will be left with the only possibility of playing only with low level clubs or play in other parts of the world, where they won’t be exposed and they won’t generate enough finances for themselves and their families when they retire. All these and many more explains why, CAF should enter into direct negotiations with UEFA, where a majority of African players ply their soccer trade, this in order to find a suitable date for the organisation of African Cup of Nations tournaments. There are many advantages in such negotiations. The basic ones are that: (1) It will bring CAF closer to UEFA, (2) it will be beneficial to African players and their careers and they will not have to strain anymore to choose between club and country and (3) above all, European sponsors will be attracted and interested to invest in CAF competitions beyond the Nations. Why will European sponsors be interested in sponsoring CAF competitions?  It is simply because, since Africa is now witnessing an economic revival not seen on the continent since independence of the majority, European companies are aware of the rising purchasing power of the rising happy few and will want to expose their products to them.

They may also be interested in sponsoring club competitions such as CAF Champions league and CAF Cup. CAF has no other options than to negotiate, for CAF is poor compared to UEFA and if they continue organising their tournaments, in particular the Nation’s Cup at the same time with major European national soccer leagues, then most African players will have to choose their club at the expense of their countries, this, not because they (African players) are not patriotic, but more because European clubs are the guarantors of the financial and social future than their countries. Beggars don’t choose anything, they follow those who have.

Web sites:-

-1) Africa soccer governing body: CAF:  www.cafonline.com    

-2) The LC2 International, broadcaster of CAF matches:  www.lc2international.tv                

-3) Europe’s soccer governing body: UEFA:  www.uefa.com     

-4) World soccer governing body FIFA: www.fifa.com   

-4) BBC African football:   http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/default.stm        

Robot  # 1 | 07.09.2007 13:25

The Confederation of African Football Associations (CAF) is perhaps on...Read the full article.