Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian and Egyptian clubs have made 19 appearances in the previous 15 finals. With the exception of some South African and Congolese sides, the North Africans have reigned supreme in most of those meetings.
An air of familiarity engulfs the CAF Champions League semifinals. Title-holders Esperance de Tunis will host the 2015 winners, TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo, on 27 April, and then travel to Lubumbashi the following week for the second leg. The 2016 champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, take on the 2017 victors Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in Rabat on April 26 in the first leg.
Even disregarding the outlier that is new Egyptian club Pyramids FC — which spent more than $50 million in transfers last summer — the simple truth is that many North African clubs possess sizeable budgets, allowing for the construction of infrastructure and better player acquisition.Football investment is not a matter of simple economics, as proven by Nigeria, where finding private investment remains a chore in the continent’s largest economy.
“For now, everything is in the hands of government; but there will be significant improvement the time private investors, with real commitment, come in and own [a] greater percentage of the shares. Government cannot continue to run every aspect of the system, it’s not possible at all,” Chukwu toldPublic funding seems to be the prevailing model throughout the continent, but it is particularly commonplace in West Africa.
Yet both West and East Africa are very behind when it comes to developing football infrastructure. Salim Masoud Said, a Tanzanian journalist who has travelled throughout North and East Africa, attests to the gulf in quality of regional installations. “There’s a fear factor and mental block when most West African teams travel to North Africa,” Randa insists.
In another statement, Mosimane indicated that Zamalek supporters issued death threats to his players leading up to the final of the 2016 CAF Champions League final the Brazilians won. Badri has since become a fixture for both the Blood and Gold and the Tunisian national team. Not only did he score the goal that qualified the Carthage Eagles to the 2018 World Cup, he also started all three World Cup matches in Russia, scored the winning goal in the 2018 CAF Champions League and finished as the competition’s leading scorer.
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