This is a positive development. However it hinges on Nigerian interests providing a small percentage of the capital in order to make it a reality, and there are a lot of egos that may not immediately be willing to match that without requisite control. But I can see the benefit for UK's interests. Recent player development by independent academies have turned up fruit in the examples of players like Success and Iheanacho, so it stands to reason that if they can manage the league as a whole it might turn the league itself into the player development engine that might put the current output to pale. The managment company would then have first pick of Nigerian players developed through the league which would lead to cheap potential stars in the vein of the two players mentioned above while simultaneously improving the stock of Nigeria's domestic talent base and helping the national team. This also creates an economic boon as well, as it will create jobs and activity for growth in other areas surrounding the footballing aspects. All-in-all, a win-win, but it still requires Nigerians to do their part. I'm pessimistically optimistic, if that even means anything, lol. I hope it happens and will keep an eye out for future developments. This is the type of thing that I've been calling for for a long time, but that it comes from an entity from a nation with perhaps the most successful league in the world is a plus. They already know how to run a league, market it, set up academies and train coaches and officials. Keeping my fingers crossed... E2A: I also hope that they take a look at ideas from what has been done in the US and MLS as far as building support and a fanbase in a nation that it was always assumed would never take to the sport. Ideas about how to leverage supporters culture within clubs and build rivalries between cities. How to market to apathetic fans who would rather watch club football in Europe. And how to build relationships between those fans/supporters/ultras and their club management. This is to make sure that the relationship and the planning, as well as how you balance safety and fan experience, go hand-in-hand. Some ideas that will hopefully go a long way towards rebuilding an interest in domestic football and thus creating another team that might be ranked in the top 5 as our 1990s Super Eagles were. That was a very good team that were mainly nurtured on home soil. Not to say that the expats aren't a solid augmentation; Iwobi, Moses, Odemwingie, Balogun and Troost-Ekong have all been good performers for them. Alot of the details are encouraging moves in the right direction. Especially television rights being managed by this enterprise which would hopefully increase exposure for the league: Dalung gets a lot of flack, but he tries to put faith in the hands of managers who are competent and will move things forward without bias or internal corruption. This group expects to profit from this venture and can only do so if it is successful.
The hope is they will react fast and expand but Africa is Africa. But the other poster said, there is a lot of variety in CAF. Better than anywhere else. I think it would be better to live the Champions League to the big hitters. It doesn't make sense to have lock out clubs with fans and resources. I could easily list 10 such clubs. Dar es Salaam alone has two clubs that can bring 50k fans each but they waste time playing in CECAFA every year. *** Confederation Cup would be an avenue to see the other clubs in Africa. Right now the issue is money for travel and such. But it would be good for development of player pool in Africa. Much more than CHAN.
This is a positive development. However it hinges on Nigerian interests providing a small percentage of the capital in order to make it a reality, and there are a lot of egos that may not immediately be willing to match that without requisite control. But I can see the benefit for UK's interests. Recent player development by independent academies have turned up fruit in the examples of players like Success and Iheanacho, so it stands to reason that if they can manage the league as a whole it might turn the league itself into the player development engine that might put the current output to pale. The managment company would then have first pick of Nigerian players developed through the league which would lead to cheap potential stars in the vein of the two players mentioned above while simultaneously improving the stock of Nigeria's domestic talent base and helping the national team. This also creates an economic boon as well, as it will create jobs and activity for growth in other areas surrounding the footballing aspects. All-in-all, a win-win, but it still requires Nigerians to do their part. I'm pessimistically optimistic, if that even means anything, lol. I hope it happens and will keep an eye out for future developments. This is the type of thing that I've been calling for for a long time, but that it comes from an entity from a nation with perhaps the most successful league in the world is a plus. They already know how to run a league, market it, set up academies and train coaches and officials. Keeping my fingers crossed... E2A: I also hope that they take a look at ideas from what has been done in the US and MLS as far as building support and a fanbase in a nation that it was always assumed would never take to the sport. Ideas about how to leverage supporters culture within clubs and build rivalries between cities. How to market to apathetic fans who would rather watch club football in Europe. And how to build relationships between those fans/supporters/ultras and their club management. This is to make sure that the relationship and the planning, as well as how you balance safety and fan experience, go hand-in-hand. Some ideas that will hopefully go a long way towards rebuilding an interest in domestic football and thus creating another team that might be ranked in the top 5 as our 1990s Super Eagles were. That was a very good team that were mainly nurtured on home soil. Not to say that the expats aren't a solid augmentation; Iwobi, Moses, Odemwingie, Balogun and Troost-Ekong have all been good performers for them. Alot of the details are encouraging moves in the right direction. Especially television rights being managed by this enterprise which would hopefully increase exposure for the league:
Massive increase in prize money in both CL and CC from 2017 (CAN too)! http://africanfootball.com/news/662714/CAF-competitions-receive-major-prize-money-increase CL winner will get $2,5M (1,5M now) with total prize money goes up from 5,7M to 12,5M. Huge boost!