June 21 – Spurred on by Gianni Infantino, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe believes Africa can succeed where Europe failed and launch its own Continental Super League.
“We have been following attempts by some top European clubs to form a Super League and will learn from their experience and pitfalls,” said the recently elected South African businessman.
“In this regard, we are assessing and in preliminary discussions to start an inclusive, broadly supported and beneficial African Super League.”
Despite his repeated insistence that he strongly opposed the doomed European Super League, Infantino has not convinced everyone and has been reported in some circles as privately giving his backing to the project that was quickly aborted amid global condemnation.
Whatever Infantino’s true stance was vis-à-vis Europe, as early as 2019 the FIFA president did condone – and publicly – a similar idea for the African continent, saying he favoured 20 permanent African Super League members plus others who would qualify via regional play-offs.
Such a league, he was quoted as saying, could generate $3-billion over a five-year period.
Itis this which appears to have encouraged Motsepe who says a Super League would “contribute to African football becoming globally competitive and self-sustaining”.
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