Hersi Ally Said, the Young Africans SC boss and recently appointed African Clubs Association (ACA), says that the conditions African teams face on a daily basis, will improve and ultimately emulate the standard of European football.
Last year, in November, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) announced the formation of this new football body that intends to protect and promote the interests of African clubs. The plan is to create a platform for all the teams on the continent to sit together, analyse the challenges they face, and find solutions.
Orchestrated by the renowned billionaire and Caf president Patrice Motsepe, the launch of the ACA took place in Cairo, Egypt, where several senior executives and club chairpersons across Africa gathered and decided to elect Ally Said as the leader of the new ship that seeks to steer club football in Africa to greater heights.
Sunday World gives you all you need to know about ACA and some of the benefits it will bring to club football:
The ACA structure and board members:
Chairman Ally Said will be flanked by two vice presidents, the first being Kaizer Chiefs marketing and commercial director Jessica Motaung and Akwa United chairman, Paul Bassey as the second vice-president.
The rest of its structure will consist of 15 other board members from the six zones of Caf, the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa), West African Football Union A (Wafu A), West African Football Union B (Wafu B), Union of North African Football (Unaf), and the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa).
The ACA is still in the process of being registered.
Financial boost and commercial viability:
Unfortunately, in modern football, every club has to have financial muscle to compete and succeed at the highest level.
For decades, teams in north Africa such as Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca and Esperance have proved that competing and winning the Caf Champions League requires the best players, and best players come at a price.
Recently, the likes of Yanga, Simba SC and Mamelodi Sundowns have also been competitive in Africa due to their owners pumping enough money into their clubs.
So, building partnerships with sponsors across the globe and having a globally competitive and profitable financial boost in the future is also a consideration for ACA.
The establishment of the African Football League (AFL) is an example of a successful ‘moneyfested’ project.
Facilities and travel issues across the continent:
Across the African continent, it is a known fact that travelling during domestic competitions and even during international matches is usually one of the most challenging endeavours for most teams.
There are usually complaints about flights that take over 30 hours, hotels and training facilities not being up to standard.
ACA vows to tackle the issue as one of its priorities as soon as they are up and running.
Formation of more women’s teams by big clubs in Africa:
It has been evident in recent years that women’s football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
Teams such as Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are the two of the notable African giants that are yet to form a women’s team.
Ally Said has already urged the two Soweto giants to look into forming the female version of their teams and contribute towards the growth of women’s football in
Africa.
