CAF changes boost PSL and African football

SAFA president Danny Jordaan believes the change to the timing of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) from 2019 will be of major benefit to football on the continent.

A new resolution adopted at the recent CAF Symposium and CAF Congress in Rabat, Morocco, is that Afcon will no longer be held in January and February, but will instead be shifted to the months of June and July. It will, however, still take place every two years.

The other big change flowing from the CAF meeting is that, from 2019, there will be 24 countries participating in the event, which is an increase from the previous number of 16. Afcon 2019 is scheduled for Cameroon.

“This is good for the game,” said Jordaan, who is a CAF executive member. “Africa has simply synchronised its calendar with the rest of the world and this will benefit Africa a great deal. We are likely to witness more competitive tournaments, with more viewership and definitely more revenue.”

Jordaan added that the main reason for the increase in the number of teams is in keeping with the gradual growth of the Afcon tournament. In 1957, when it first started, there were just three teams; by 1992, there were 12, 16 from 1996, and it is only right that, now, it is expanded even further.

There is now also a lot more to play for in the PSL than just winning the league title. In a major boost for football in South Africa, the CAF meeting also decided to award the country four places in the lucrative African Champions League.

Previously, only two clubs were allowed entry into the event – the PSL champions and runners-up – but, especially considering how excellently the country has performed on the continent over the last few years, the number has been increased to four.

“It makes it similar to the English Premier League,” said Jordaan, “The first priority of a club is to win the league, but when that is out of reach, then the next step is to try and finish in the top four to qualify for the Champions League. In the PSL, there will now be that same motivation.”

Orlando Pirates galvanised South Africa’s continental elevation by reaching the final of the Champions League in 2013 and then followed that up with a runners-up finish in the 2015 CAF Confederations Cup.

Subsequently Mamelodi Sundowns went all the way last season to win the Champions League.

Because of this, and the PSL’s continued advancement, it has been rewarded with four places in Africa’s most prestigious club competition.