The trophy to be competed for by the eight teams in the inaugural edition of the African Football League (AFL) was launched on Friday in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe accompanied by members of his executive, former Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger and AFL staff unveiled the trophy at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Speaking at the ceremony, Motsepe underscored the importance of the tournament and emphasised that it will help to improve the quality of club African football.
“To make African football globally competitive, we must improve various aspects of it including giving out attractive cash prizes so as to retain quality players and as well as have great pitches,”
“The African Football League (AFL) is able to achieve all these and that is why we are proud of this competition,” he said.
He also denied that the AFL will water down its other competitions specifically the Confederations Cup and the Champions League.
“If anything it will improve the quality of our competitions and we also have to get to a point where we restructure some of our tournaments to ensure they live upto our expectations,” he added.
He confirmed that next year the AFL will feature 24 teams and will start in June.
