Anaylsis by Mark Gleeson, African football journalist
This is the first time that the two finals would be hosted as a single match after decades of being played home and away over two legs. It was a surprise decision made by Caf president Ahmad and his executive committee last year without regard to historical precedent, ironically first displayed in Johannesburg just over a quarter-century ago. Caf hosted both the African Super Cup in 1994 and 1995 on neutral turf but very quickly abandoned the idea after both games were marred by public disinterest. The 1994 Super Cup pitted Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Zamalek at Soccer City in Johannesburg. It is a fixture that easily fills the 60 000-capacity Cairo International Stadium but there were barely 1 000 supporters at the cavernous South African stadium, leaving Egyptians astonished and aghast. The next year in Alexandria, when Tunisia's Esperance beat Daring Club Motema Pembe of the then Zaire, it was again characterised by swath of empty seats. After this, the Super Cup was always played at the home ground of the winner of the Champions League until last year when it was moved to Qatar. There is already a long standing apathy towards African club competitions from South African fans, who rarely turn out to watch their local clubs compete in the two annual competitions. South African stadiums were largely empty, expect when the home team played, when the country hosted both the 1996 and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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