Time for CECAFA Champions League
COLUMNS
By Kenyatta Otieno
I think a lot about football, to say the least; football is one of
my wives, my third wife to be specific. I will tell you about
the first two later, first kudos to Kenya for winning CECAFA
Senior Challenge after eleven years despite the challenges on
and off the pitch.
I cannot remember where my article on CAF Champions
League was published. I have to look for that article before my
editor posts this one and share the link.
(CAF Champions League) I got it on my blog in time to post
it here. Now you know my wife number two- writing. Africa
knows little about our very own Champions League compared
to the Europe version. It is my belief that this can be changed
by going for a softer version of affirmative version.
North and West Africa have won over 90% of CAF Champions
League and Confederation Cup compared to Sub-Saharan Africa’s about 10%. This has made a huge chunk of the continent
now to own these two competitions. This year, Egyptian side
Al-Ahly beat South Africa’s PSL Champions Orlando Pirates
to the CAF-CL title. Since 1991 only Orlando Pirates and TP
Mazembe have broken the West –North Africa domination.
Africa has about five regional football confederations. CECAFA and COSAFA have been partnering for a while and that is
a good show. There is the Central Africa, North Africa and
West Africa regional outfits. Why not create regional Champions Leagues then the two top sides in each region go to group
stage. This will make the whole of Africa to have a team in
sweetest stage of the competition. This is not to fight the North
Africans domination, but it beats logic for them to develop at
the expense of the rest of Africa.
To set this off, CECAFA Secretariat headed by the able Nicholas Musonye should
stage CECAFA Champions league instead of the usual Kagame Cup. The name
can stay if the Rwanda president will continue to support it. The members’ league
winners can play a round robin league throughout the season.
This to me is much cheaper to stage than the annual two week tournament. It is
even easier to ask the participating cost share with CECAFA or look for national
co-sponsors. The co-sponsors will chip in a smaller amount compared to paying
for a two week tournament. The longer time of the competition also means longer
airtime for title sponsors and can translate to bigger sponsorship package.
It will be easier for fans to cross the border into
the neighboring country and cheer their team.
It has been long since the big teams in Eastern
Africa played in another country. I cannot remember Yanga or Simba SC playing in Kenya
in my adult life, or even Sports Villa of Uganda. This will make it easier for fans to back any
team that progresses from the region as they
will have watched them play.
If other regions can follow suit, then CAF will
have no option but to drop the copy pasted version of EUEFA Champions League for a more
domesticated African version. Even the Europe
version was initially played by the continents
‘BIG’ teams before it was opened up. They have
had their journey; we can also start ours and
grow it.
I hope someone is reading this. I can now go
and look after my first wife.