The competition has noble intentions; it gives locally based players the necessary exposure. The tournament is the equivalent of the Africa Cup of Nations, only that it features players plying their trade in the domestic leagues.
But the tournament seems to be regressing since the first edition in 2009. Interest is at an all time low, such that when the final was played on Saturday, the FIFA Club World Cup was already in full swing in Morocco, just next door to Algeria.
Was CAF not aware of such a counter-attraction or the administrators have also given up on the tournament. The attendance for the final was quite impressive, particularly after hosts Algeria made it to the final.
But it will not be misplaced to think that the majority of fans across the continent had very little interest, or were not even aware of the final. On the other hand, Morocco has gone all out for the FIFA Club World Cup, with journalists flying into Rabat from all corners of the continent to cover the competition. The same cannot be said about CHAN, which is turning out into an ice cold tournament.
I watched a couple of games and the displays were not disappointing. It is a competition that can be reignited if it is given the attention and respect. At the moment, it appears CAF is only content with ticking the boxes.
They are holding the tournament for the sake of it. African football must not cry for respect from elsewhere and it has to start with CAF. The mother body is haphazard in its approach, that's why we end up with an embarrassing situation of two high profile tournaments take place at the same time, just kilometers apart. Maybe the conflict between Morocco and Algeria had a hand in the scheduling of the two counter-attractions; just may be. Morocco and Algeria are locked in a bitter dispute over the Western Sahara territory and the former decided against taking part in the CHAN finals in protest. But it is inexcusable for CAF to disrespect and discredit its own competition.
If there was respect for CHAN we would not be seeing a rival tournament like the FIFA Club World Cup taking place at the same time with the African competition. With a renowned businessman at the helm of CAF, one expects a better business-like approach to the running of the organisation.
The Chiefs sponsorship
On Friday, transport company DC Tours announced an ambitious, long term P68million, yes six eight million sponsorship deal for First Division side, Mochudi Centre Chiefs.
It's a long term arrangement, which will span 10years. Sounds very good but weird at the same time. Time will tell, but 10years is a very long time. It could be helpful to break down the relationship in phases and evaluate progress at every stage.
