Enyimba international midfielder Pascal Eze sees the prospect of participating in the inaugural edition of the African Football League (AFL) as ‘historic’ as he deems the competition an opportunity to write his name in gold.
Eze is expected to be available for selection when Enyimba begins their campaign in Africa’s brand-new flagship club competition on October 22 after his injury which made him miss the CAF Champions League.
Africa’s highest-ranked football clubs will compete in the exciting new ‘Super’ competition, the Inaugural African Football League (AFL) which is designed to showcase the best of African club football and provide football fans in Africa and around the world, the opportunity to see and enjoy the very best of the beautiful game on the African Continent
“The African Football League is a first of its kind and I’m happy to be a part of it. This is a wonderful time to play for Enyimba and I am happy that I will be part of those making history for this club by playing in this competition.
“We know that it is now on us to make our fans proud because we know that they will come out to support us. We cannot afford to let them down.”
The AFL is a partnership between CAF and FIFA and the Inaugural edition of the AFL will feature 8 of Africa’s most famous and successful teams from the 3 African Regional Blocks which are: the North Region, the Central-West Region, and the South-East Region.
Finidi George’s NPFL 2022/23 champions first Nigerian club to win the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League in 2003 and 2004, face Moroccan heavyweights Wydad Casablanca who have three titles.
Full fixtures:
Quarter-final 1-October 20: Simba v Al-Ahly October 24: Al-Ahly v Simba.
Quarter-final 2-October 21: T.P Mazembe v Esperance. October 25: Esperance v T.P Mazembe.
Quarter-final 3: October 22: Enyimba v Wydad Casablanca. October 25: Wydad v Enyimba.
Quarter-final 4: October 21: Petro Atletico du Luanda v Mamelodi Sundowns. October 24: Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Petro Atletico de Luanda.
October 29 and November 1- Semi-final 1 and Semi-final 2.
November 5 and November 11- Final 1 and 2.
The semi-finals will take place between 29 October and 1 November, the final matches which will determine the winner of the Inaugural AFL competition will take place on 5 and 11 November 2023.
The Inaugural AFL is a precursor to the fully-fledged AFL competition which will feature the 24 highest-ranked football clubs on the African Continent and will commence during the 2024/2025 football season.
