By Amr Shaheen BBC Sport, Cairo

Arab championship sets fresh challenge for Caf boss Issa Hayatou

The Arab Football Federation is starting a club championship which will involve the leading teams in the region.

Clubs like Zamalek, Ahly, Esperance, Raja and Wydad are interested in playing in the tournament.

But they have also been Africa's dominant clubsides in recent years.

North African sides have won four out of the last six Champions League competitions.

There is a strong possibility that conflicting match schedules between the two competitions could cause problems for the Champions League.

The Confederation of African Football runs its competitions from January to December, while the Arab club championship will run from October to June.

Saudi billionaire Sheikh Saleh Kamel is the brain behind the new Arab competition.

Kamel, who will invest $7 million in the tournament, is owner of the Pan-Arabic cable television network ART.

The winner of the competition will receive $2 million, which doubles the sum awarded to the African champions.

The Arab club competition has been made attractive with the provision of free transportation and accommodation for the 32 clubs of the 18 participating countries.

All teams will get a payment of $30,000.