The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) announced a partnership with the Government of Rwanda, through the Rwanda Development Board, the Ministry of Sports, and RwandAir. The partnership aims to develop African football and tourism through the new African Football League (AFL) that will feature the best football clubs in the continent on a global stage.
The African Football League will have teams from every region in Africa competing for a title every year starting this 20 October 2023 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
This year’s competing football clubs, selected following CAF rankings, will include Al Ahly from Egypt, Wydad AC from Morocco, Espérance Sportive de Tunis from Tunisia, TP Mazembe from DR Congo, Enyimba from Nigeria, Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, ATL. Petro Luanda from Angola and Simba FC from Tanzania.
As a founding partner of the league, “Visit Rwanda” branding will be visible on sleeves of player jerseys, in stadiums during games, partner workshops and events, broadcast and online media channels, websites and more.
In addition, AFL will work with the Rwandan Ministry of Sports and Football Federation (FERWAFA) on youth football development initiatives, including developing a local youth league.
Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir will be an airline partner of the league and will transport participating teams to countries that are among its routes.
Speaking on the partnership,Véron Mosengo-Omba, CAF Secretary General, said: “The partnership with “Visit Rwanda” is a great milestone. I am pleased to announce our exciting partnership with a nation that epitomises the spirit of African football’s growth and potential. Together, we will unlock new horizons for the beautiful game on our continent, showcasing its breath-taking landscapes, vibrant culture, and the passion of our fans. We can’t wait to embark on this incredible journey together with “Visit Rwanda”.”
In a similar vein, Francis Gatare, Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Development Board noted: “We’re excited to announce yet another partnership for the development and promotion of sports in Rwanda. This falls in line with our objectives of contributing to developing African talent and using football for economic development in our continent. Through this partnership, we aim to showcase the new Rwanda to over 1 billion audiences that will be watching the annual league, and to ensure that our young players, coaches, sports operators and private sector are supported across the entire ecosystem.”
Furthermore, Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, Rwanda’s Minister of Sports also said: “Sports is a great unifier for our continent and a partnership such as this with the African Football League, is a rare opportunity for young football talents and local leagues in Africa. We look forward to having more Rwandans showcase their footballing talent on this platform that reaches millions of global audiences and highlight Africa as a football powerhouse.”
The African Football League (AFL) is a prestigious annual continental club football competition that serves as a celebration of football excellence and camaraderie across the African continent. Founded with the vision of enhancing the quality of football in Africa and fostering financial growth for participating clubs and stakeholders.
Rwanda’s stunning landscapes have earned it the name ‘the Land of a Thousand Hills’. Over the past two decades, the country has experienced strong economic growth supported by strong political and social progress. Rwanda is recognized for the quality of its governance, a commitment to sustainability and the important role played by women in the life of the nation.
Rwanda recognizes sports as one of the pillars of social transformation and development. The country is promoting sports in all corners of society unbiased to gender, age, or physical capacity. Rwanda’s most popular sport is football, which is played in all corners of the country. Basketball, cycling and volleyball continue to grow in popularity. (End)