All you need sabi about African Football League di continent newest elite club competition

Africa new elite club competition, di African Football League (AFL), go kick off on Friday wen di opening game take place for Tanzania.

Bifo di strongest attempt yet to make African clubs competitive globally, BBC Sport Africa ansa some of di key kwesion wey concern di Fifa-backed tournament.

Wetin - and wen - be di African Football League?

Di AFL na new competition for di continent leading clubs, eight of whom go battle am out wit hope to win di $4million prize for di champions.

On Friday, di record 11-time African club champions - Al Ahly, of Egypt - bin meet Tanzania Simba for di first of di quarter-finals, all of wey dem play over two legs.

Di brainchild of Fifa and im president Gianni Infantino, wey announce for February 2020 say di continent need one new pan-African club competition, di AFL - for im own words - "dey set to change di future of club football on di continent".

Di two-legged final of dis year inaugural AFL, wey dem go play for knock-out basis, dey scheduled for 5 and 11 November.

Africa need new club competition?

Back in 2020, Infantino bin list some of di weaknesses e bin notice for African club football, say di continent lack "proper competition infrastructure" and existing tournaments such as di African Champions League and Confederations Cup be "30-40 times less successful dan Europe".

Wit Fifa wey dey work in partnership wit di Confederation of African Football (Caf), di hope na say di AFL no go only raise di global profile of di continent clubs but also generate increased revenue.

If Africa clubs improve dia finances, di hope na say more money go encourage more players to stay on di continent to play football without feeling di need to play for Europe or anoda place.

"Wen dem provide unparallel competitive platform, di league aim to raise di quality of di sport while dem generate plenty revenue streams," AFL, add say di money go dey shared "equally among di clubs and all stakeholders wey involve".

Who be di participating clubs?

Di eight teams don dey selected from three different regions - north, central-west and south-east Africa - Caf say e chose di highest-rank teams for each bloc.

To add to Al Ahly, northern Africa - wey don account for di winners for 11 of di last 13 stagings of di Caf Champions League - go dey represented by Morocco Wydad Casablanca, African champions for 1992, 2017 and 2022, and Esperance, wey tally of four continental crowns include back-to-back titles for 2018 and 2019.

As well as Simba, di south-east go incorporate Mamelodi Sundowns - one of only two sub-Saharan clubs to dey crowned African champions since 2004 - and Petro Atletico, even though di Angolan club recently appeal one domestic ban over match-fixing charges wey di club deny.

Wit Nigeria Enyimba wey no contest di African Champions League semi-finals since 2011, di two-time African champions (2003, 2004) fit count demselves lucky to dey among di nominal top eight, wey dem no fit tok about DR Congo TP Mazembe, wey win di last of di five titles for 2015.

And who be di 'stakeholders' wey involve?

Di stakeholders dey - one perfect world - all di kontries for Africa.

For one recent statement, di AFL say di money wey dey generated by di competition "go go to all 54 Caf members and local leagues to improve football development for those kontris".

Wen di new elite league dey launched for August 2022, dem suggest say each kontri go receive annual $1m cash award, wit di governing body itself wit hope to earn about $50m wey go dey dedicated to youth and women football.

However, such expectations since don dey tempered by di tournament reduced budget.

Wetin happun to di hundreds of millions once e dey linked to di AFL?

Much of di tok bifor di prize money finally dey confam bin suggest say di AFL go bring substantial revenue, wit Caf president Patrice Motsepe wey tok for August 2022 of one desire to bring in "$250-300m evri year".

But those money neva materialise, wit di budget wey dem reduce from di initially-suggested $200m - wey Infantino first tok for 2020 - to $100m, go don see di competition winner earn $11.6m, bifor e reduce even more.

E bin once get tok-tok of 24 clubs each dey receive $2.5m to participate for di competition, but di total AFL prize fund for di eight clubs currently stand at just over $10m.

On 30 September, Caf bin announce say di winner go receive $4m, di runners-up $3m, di semi-finalists $1.7m and di quarter-finalists $900,000 - all amounts greater dan di rewards on offer for di African Champions League, wey go kontinu.

Who dey provide di money?

Wit unlimited funds, one desire to promote dia 2034 World Cup bid and one five-year partnership deal wey Caf sign for May, na little surprise wen Saudi Arabia dey unveiled as di AFL main financial backer.

For 12 October, just weeks afta e host Caf Super Cup match, Saudi Arabia Visit Saudi - di public agency wey dey in charge of promoting tourism for di kontri - became the AFL's main sponsor.

"Di success of di AFL go contribute to di build youth academies for boys and girls and football infrastructure for [Caf] 54 kountris," di press release trumpet.

On Tuesday, just three days bifo di official kick-off, di Rwandan goment become anoda sponsor, Visit Rwanda branding go dey visible on player jerseys, for stadiums and elsewhere.

How I go fit watch?

Di world most successful football competitions, such as di Uefa Champions League and England Premier League, make most of dia moni through lucrative broadcasting deals.

However, di first staging of di AFL go dey unavailable through traditional platforms and go dey streamed instead, either via di AFL website or im corresponding YouTube account, wey get 706 subscribers two days bifo di tournament begin.

Given di cost of data, many African football fans fit choose against spending hard-earned income on di new competition but organisers dey hope for global interest. "Wit di right exposure, our players fit dey sold for double, triple or quadruple [dia expected] value," one owner tok.

Spectators fit watch di games for stadiums, wit fans expected to pack in to Simba Benjamin Mkapa Stadium for di opener.

Wetin critics say?

No be everyone dey happy about di AFL, wey organisers initially call di Africa Super League until dem persuade dem make dem not sake of di potential negative associations wit di swiftly-aborted European Super League.

Despite Fifa and Caf combine attempts to bolster di quality of African clubs, wey don struggle to make any regular impact for di soon-to-dey-expanded Club World Cup, fears say di riches on offer fit only widen di gap between Africa elite clubs and di rest.

Club football already dey dominated by clubs wit superior budgets, most of which dey found for North Africa. If dem start to receive more money, how di rest go keep up?

"Di Super League go kill African club football," say outspoken critic John Comitis, di owner of South Africa Cape Town FC, speaking bifor di competition name change. "You fit switch off di lights on domestic leagues."

Wetin be di future for di AFL?

Both Fifa and Caf hope say di inaugural AFL go go so well say di event attract more sponsors and broadcasters ahead of di second edition next year, wey fit be totally different proposition.

On im website, di AFL say dem dey "expect remarkable growth" and expect to include 22 teams next year for one extended format throughout di season, provide "greater inclusivity of clubs from across di continent".

Former Simba chief executive Barbara Gonzalez dey among those wey simply hope di tournament fit raise di quality of African football and increase di investment wey dey required to lead to international success.

"Now wey dey dey invest heavily [for di African club game], we get one fighting chance," she tok.