Patrice Motsepe and his CAF executive committee are reportedly in discussions with Saudi Arabia about the Middle Eastern nation possibly sponsoring the African Super League.
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According to The Guardian, African football's governing body and the Gulf state have been in talks for some time over the Arab nation possibly providing the necessary funds to get the tournament off the ground.
Saudi Arabia is believed to be looking to secure CAF's support when they bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, and it seems that financially backing the new continental competition is a way to guarantee that.
Late last year, federation president Motsepe announced that he will be introducing a 24-team super league in an effort to generate more money for the teams on the African continent.
During that August press conference, the South African executive mentioned that $100 million (R1.9 billion) would be distributed among the teams involved, while the winner would get $11.5 million (R221 million), with the former Mamelodi Sundowns chairman also claiming that the intention was to raise the profile of the clubs by enabling them to spend big.
While that may have been Motsepe's plan when the competition was initially conceptualised, it looks as though it will be begin on a much smaller scale and at a later stage.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the tournament will only begin with eight teams, and it is now believed it will also be delayed until the beginning of the 2024/25 season as CAF looks to finalise sponsorship for it.
The Saudi backing looks a formality as this stage, however, with the 61-year-old having already announced a five-year agreement with the Saudi Football Federation.
"CAF is excited to work together and partner with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to develop and grow football on our continent and globally," Motsepe said in a recent statement.
"There are also specific areas for mutually beneficial partnerships that we are discussing and announcements will be made in due course."
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The same report claims that CAF has been cash-strapped since the cancellation of their $1 billion (R19.2 billion) broadcast deal with French company Lagardere Sports, but have now seemingly found a way to offset those losses.
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