It has been an unkept secret over the last months that Mamelodi Sundowns will compete in the new African Super League but formal confirmation of their participation was only issued on Friday in a statement by the South African Football Association.
The statement said “South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns are part of the prestigious tournament alongside Egyptian giants Al Ahly, Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco, Esperance Sportive de Tunis, TP Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria’s Enyimba Football Club, Simba Sports Club from Tanzania and Atletico Petroleos de Luanda from Angola”.
It is the first time that the identity of the clubs have been confirmed. The Confederation of African Football is yet to do so.
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— SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) August 4, 2023
The tournament, which is to be named the African Football League to avoid the negative Super League connotations that beset a similar and ultimately abortive project in Europe, kicks off on 20 October and will be played over a period of four weeks. The final will be played on 11 November. The draw is set for next month.
SAFA said there had been an inspection this week from a CAF delegation to conduct a venue inspection and “also ascertain the state of readiness ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns’ home matches”.
Plans for the eight team Super League are far removed from the original vision for the competition, which first was espoused by Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
He made the proposal at a CAF Congress for an annual 32-team league which he claimed at the time generate at least US$200m per year. But the project has been watered down in the absence of a major sponsor.