The Confederation of African Football (“CAF”) Annual Club Licensing Continental Seminar successfully kicked off in Cairo, Egypt. The seminar is being attended by the 54 CAF Member Associations, FIFA and sister confederation representatives, FIFPRO Africa, Club Licensing Instructors and Leagues representatives from around the continent.

The seminar takes places as majority of Leagues around the continent prepare for the start of a new season.

The CAF Annual Club Licensing Continental Seminar 2022 provides a platform for Member Associations, CAF, FIFA, sister Confederations, and various stakeholders groups to convene and share club licensing best practices, implementation methods, success stories and challenges.

CAF Executive Committee Member and Vice-Chairman of the CAF Organising Committee for Interclub Competitions and Club Licensing Management System, Colonel Major Djibrilla Hima Hamidou delivered the opening remarks at the seminar.

Colonel Major Hamidou said: “The club licensing system has evolved significantly to become a key tool for the development and professionalization of football in Africa. CAF wants to see uniformity across our members and also across all CAF competitions both men and women. The aim of CAF is that the club licensing system has an effect and contributes to raising the standards at domestic football level.

CAF’s new vision for the professionalization of football is to enhance the pyramid from below, starting with national competitions, hence the new CAF regulatory framework will strengthen the club licensing system for men’s and women’s football in continental and domestic competitions.”

This first day, that was driven by the newly-formed CAF Professional Football Department, focused on the regulatory framework of the CAF Club Licensing, CAF Women´s Club Licensing Regulations, CAF Catalogue of sanctions, CAF Club Licensing Quality Standard and CAF Stadium Regulations.

CAF Chief Operations Officer Abiola Ijasamni, who attended day one, added: “Globally, the strength of club football is the backbone of member associations. We cannot achieve our objectives by just ticking the boxes of the Regulatory Framework – as important as that is – we have to breed a culture of not just filling the forms, but of monitoring, maintaining and assisting our clubs to reach higher levels.

“The vision of the President of CAF, Dr Patrice Motsepe is to make African football globally competitive: As the Administration of CAF, we have to think about this practically, about what it means and how, our daily actions, contribute towards fulfilling this vision. The Member Associations are key in this success of their Leagues. I hope this seminar will create the necessary interaction and understanding between CAF, Member Associations and Leagues,” Ijasamni said.

The objectives of the continental seminar are:

· Present the new regulatory framework for the CAF Club Licensing System for men and women;

· Launch the CAF Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP);

· Conduct training for the CAF Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP);

· Receive a full update on the situation of the club licensing system from the MAs;

· Ensure that the MAs are ready to communicate licensing decisions by the set deadline for engagement of clubs in CAF IC Competitions (Men’s and Women’s);

· Exchange knowledge and expertise with the FIFA and sister confederations on club licensing;

· Present the new regulatory framework for stadiums; and

· Focus on stadium compliance for CAF competitions and cover the stadium inspections procedures.