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Issa Hayatou and Hicham El Amrani were fined a total of $ 55.8 million by the Egyptian Economic Court
The former president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), Issa Hayatou, and the secretary general, Hicham El Amrani, were fined $ 27.9 million each by the Egyptian Economic Court.
The EEC ruled that the couple had flouted Egyptian law when signing a $ 1 billion deal between Caf and the French media company Lagardère in 2015.
The agreement was not open to free and fair auctions as required by Egyptian law, said the EEC.
Hayatou and El Amrani will both call.
"This verdict is quite grotesque and has no justification in that it constitutes a flagrant disregard for the facts of the case and for the provisions of Egyptian and international competition law," said Hayatou of Cameroon. in a statement.
"I will naturally appeal … while reserving the right to bring the case before any other international court of competition, in order to put an end to this intolerable defamation and repeated attacks against my honor."
Hayatou, who keeps the case, is politically motivated. El Amrani, from Morocco, worked for many years for Caf, based in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.
As such, the Egyptian authorities claim that Caf is governed by local laws.
Nevertheless, the decision of the EEC sanctions only Hayatou – who chaired Caf from 1988 to 2017 – and El Amrani, who also left office last year.
"Mr. El Amrani and I have, at any time, and in particular with respect to the agreement with Lagardere Sports, acted ex officio and on behalf of the Executive Committee of CAF, as evidenced by the deliberations and the successive minutes, "added Hayatou's statement.
"The decision of the Economic Court to sentence us while releasing Caf constitutes a flagrant violation of the Egyptian competition law, the persons concerned and the entity represented being legally inseparable and jointly and severally liable."
The sanction concerns a contract signed between Caf and Lagardere in June 2015 regarding the broadcasting rights of African football, including coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations, a flagship program, between 2017 and 2028.
The original complaint had been filed last year by the Egyptian Competition Authority, which had asked Caf to cancel its contract and reopen it for a call for tenders after baderting that the agreement violated local anti-monopoly laws.
At the time, Caf responded that it did not badign any rights to Lagardere and simply named the company as its marketing and media agent.
Lagardere has paid $ 1 billion for the privilege of finding buyers for rights that "remain acquired at Caf," said the football organization at the time.
"Despite the undeniable fact that the agreement between Caf and Lagardere is an agency contract, the economic court insisted on calling it a sales contract," Hayatou said.
"This unlawful qualification goes against the provisions of the agreement and documents submitted."
A statement released Wednesday by Lagardère Sports reiterated this position.
"After reviewing the judgment, it is clear that it contains both material factual errors and a fundamental misapplication of competition law," the statement said.
"Our own legal advice regarding our contract has remained clear and unequivocal and we continue to work with Caf in accordance with our contract to support the development of African football."
The BBC contacted Caf for comments.
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