Caf cash: Will clubs benefit?

Players Derrick Kakooza (Police) and Nicholas Kabonge (Villa). Photo/Eddie Chicco

The $200,000 (Shs752m) grant to be received by Fufa from continental soccer body, Caf, is meant to facilitate the federation activities, the local FA have reaffirmed.
Fufa and 53 other national associations are to receive a combined $10m (Shs37b) to help them continue service delivery amidst the hard biting Coronavirus pandemic.

“Due to the fast-spread of Covid-19,” said.

Caf president Ahmad Ahmad in a statement on Caf website, “African MAs have suspended all domestic competitions, which has brought about huge financial burdens on their shoulders.
“Caf has thus decided to wave the eligibility requirements to access the annual grants, so all MAs can benefit during this difficult period.”
The statement added that Caf were assessing the opportunity of additional financial support to associations for the resumption and organisation of their domestic competitions.

Just two weeks ago, Caf announced the distribution of $3.5m (Shs13b) to the participants of the Inter-club competitions for the 2019/20 season.
The two club competitions, Total Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup, were suspended after the quarterfinal matches due to Covid-19.
First Fifa cash dispatch Last month, Fufa also received $500,000 (Shs1.9b) from Fifa as another advance payment of their quarterly grants, which the Ugandan FA used to pay all their staff and national coaching salaries, as well as meet any third party obligations.

For both releases, Fifa and Caf did not specify whether clubs and other stakeholders outside of Fufa House were beneficiaries, instead making it clear that the money was for Fufa to meet their daily operations.
Fifa did promise to come in with another set of relief that would take care of wider
stakeholders like clubs, the same Caf have just announced. The above is still at large.
Reacting to Caf’s latest release, however, Fufa president Moses Magogo seemed to offer some green light to clubs.
“The Fufa Excom will discuss the matter,” he told Sunday Monitor, “If there is any budget variations it is a matter of the Excom, and if certain huge changes, then the Assembly.
“But definitely and absolutely, clubs are the bricks that make the walls, houses and estate of world football."

The Fufa president added: “From sponsors, Caf, Fifa, Government are all efforts and things may not move as fast as the needs.
“For sure we have sleepless nights but getting funds outside any budget of any organisation is not that simple, neither that fast.

“Let me be conversant with the Caf deliberations, which they will share on our Exco Forum shortly, but in the circumstances, as Fufa we glad that Caf under the presidency of Ahmad Ahmad has fulfilled in its financial obligations to the Member Associations.
“Federations and clubs are operating in the same economic times like all other business. But for Fifa, Caf and consequently Fufa to fulfill our obligations as if the business was normal tells a story about how robust sports can be if managed well.”
For clubs, that robustness will only be felt if Fufa financially prove they are with them.