The opening ceremony held at the nation’s capital was attended by CAF Vice-President and Chairperson of the CAF Organising Committee for Inter-club Competitions and Club Licensing Management, Mr Ahmed Yahya, who is also President of the Mauritanian Football Federation (FFRIM).
Mr Yahya lauded the initiative by CAF’s Professional Football Division as he welcomed all delegates from the different Member Associations which include hosts Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Togo, Benin, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DR Congo, Congo and Burkina Faso.
The four-day workshop set to take place in four different nations is designed to:
- Provide updates on the usage of the CAF Club Licensing Online Platform (CLOP) for the club licensing procedure.
- Review the status of the implementation of the Club Licensing System in the Member Associations’ national competitions.
- Ensure that the Member Associations are ready to communicate the licensing decisions before the set deadline for clubs’ engagement in CAF Inter-club competitions 2024-25 (men’s and women’s).
- Conduct a refresher session on stadium pre-inspection procedures.
- Train Club Licensing Managers (CLM) in using the CLOP, specifically the stadium module.
- Conduct practical on-site stadium inspection training.
Speaking from the sidelines of the workshop, Head of CAF’s Proffesional Football Division, Mr Muhammad F. Sidat said the division was encouraged by the attendance and enthusiasm shown by the delegates in attendance, adding that the system is proving to be a great success for football administration in Africa.
“We are pleased to kick off what promises to be a successful CLOP roadshow in four countries. It is quite exciting for us at CAF to have our Member Associations in one room to discuss the benefits and potential improvement areas of the system to ensure that the system meets all requirements”, said Sidat.
“The focus will be on the implementation of club licensing criteria in CAF inter-club competitions, national competitions, and the use of CLOP in the coming cycle,” he concluded.
CAF Club Licensing Platform Workshop Schedule
Nouakchott (Mauritania)
- Language: French
- Date: April 22–26, 2024
- Participating MAs: Mauritania (host), Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Togo, Benin, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DR Congo, Congo, Burkina Faso
Algiers (Algeria)
- Language: French
- Date: April 29 – May 3, 2024
- Participating MAs: Algeria (host), Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Madagascar, Guinea, Niger
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
- Language: English
- Date: May 8–12, 2024
- Participating MAs: Ethiopia (Host), Eritrea, Somalia, Seychelles, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Libya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zanzibar (guest)
Accra (Ghana)
- Language: English and Portuguese
- Date: May 19–23, 2024
- Participating MAs: Ghana (host), Egypt, Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipe