Veteran football analyst Hector Mawango has welcomed the newly envisaged African Nations League (ANL) to replace the “unattractive” Africa Nations Cup (Chan) meant for local players.
Mawango recently told Desert FM he agrees with Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe about Chan being “a huge waste of money”.
“They tried to revive Chan for several years, but it seemed like nothing would change.
“It’s also about attractiveness . . . I have no interest in Chan,” he said.
Mawango said Chan is not exciting and is unappealing compared to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), where one sees prominent African footballers and all the excitement of African football.
At the announcement of the African Nations League, Motsepe said: “This would allow the first African Nations League to take place in 2029. It will involve each of the continent’s 54 members, divided into four geographical zones, with games in September and October, before the finals are held in November.
“There’s going to be a competition every year where the best African players who play in Europe and worldwide will be with us on the continent.”
Motsepe said the African Nations League will be the equivalent of an annual Afcon.
“You’ll have the best African players in the world participating and playing in African football at the highest level on the continent every year.”
Mawango said events like Chan have to be entertaining, as much as it is about development.
He said the public wants to go to football matches to be entertained.
The African Nations League will be divided into four geographical zones: North Africa, East Africa, West Africa and southern Africa.
Teams will play within their zones in a group phase, producing regional champions who will advance to the continental final stage. Nigeria is reportedly a candidate to host the finals in 2029.
The North African group is expected to be particularly intense. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Mauritania will all face off, creating major local derbies from the outset.
Matches will take place during Fifa international windows in September and October, with the final tournament staged in November.
On his part, Namibia Football Association president Robert Shimooshili recently told another publication that CAF, like Fifa, applies its own qualification and structural criteria when introducing new competitions.
“CAF has its own methods of structuring tournaments. Namibia did not qualify for Afcon this time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve for future competitions.”
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