Asante Kotoko chief executive, George Amoako, joined 12 other top-ranking African club presidents and representatives at a meeting on Wednesday with the leadership of CAF and FIFA to discuss the challenges and opportunities regarding the development and the future of African inter-club competitions.
The club executives discussed with the FIFA ad CAF officials issues such as revenue generation which could be reinvested in football and football infrastructures which are crucial to the development of the game at club level.
Player transfers, solidarity payments and training compensation, safety and security of players and fans, as well as the importance of digital communications to respond to the needs of the young fans were also raised. The financial challenges and the logistical constraints faced by the large majority of the African clubs were highlighted as well.
The discussion at CAF’s Cairo headquarters covered also the international match calendar and the importance to reflect a fair balance between clubs and national teams’ needs given their interconnection.
A consensus was reached between all participants that African club football needed to be radically transformed into a more appealing product. Concretely this means restructuring club competitions with a view to significantly increase the number of African clubs playing at the top level.
Overall, the daylong meeting shed light on the challenges Africa faces and also its huge potential to reach millions of fans around the continent.
Another meeting has been scheduled at a later date to present a plan with concrete steps to be taken to address the critical issues highlighted by the participants.
source: Graphic Online
