Ahmad Reviews CAF’s TV Deal as Court Postpones Hayatou Trial

Contentious decisions on African football’s television rights and tournament hosting agreements will be reviewed in the coming months, Egyptian publication; Ahram quoted the new Confederation of African Football president, Ahmad as saying on Friday.
The Egyptian government had been at loggerhead with the ousted CAF leadership over a television rights deal signed.
Ahmad said he was concerned about a 12-year television deal that CAF signed last year with French-based Lagardere Sports.
“This contract is the subject of a judicial challenge in the Egyptian courts at the moment and it was to protect the integrity of CAF in this issue that the general secretary Hicham (El Amrani) submitted his resignation, which we accepted,” he said.
“We will investigate but I am concerned about the length of the contract. I would never sign anything for longer than three years.”
Lagardere Sports hold the television and marketing rights over all CAF’s major properties and have guaranteed African football a minimum of $1-billion in income over the next 12 years. Last month’s CAF Congress was told this could be more in the region of $1.5-billion.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian economic court, the Nigerian equivalent of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), has postponed the trial of former CAF boss, Issa Hayatou.
The former president faces charges of violating the country’s competition law by granting exclusive broadcasting rights to a single company without a tender
The Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA) has accused Hayatou and the confederation’s Secretary-General Hisham El-Omrani of violating the competition law by granting exclusive broadcasting rights without a tender.
The ECA referred the case to the prosecution early this year, asking for the suspension of the commercial contract between CAF and French company Lagardère Sports, saying it violates Egypt’s anti-monopoly laws.
Egypt maintains that since Cairo is home to the CAF headquarters, the decisions of its officials are subject to the country’s laws.