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CAIRO: Former president of the African Football Confederation (CA), Issa Hayatou, and his former Moroccan secretary, Hisham Omrani, have been fined £ 1 billion (about $ 55 million) ) for violation of the Egyptian law on the protection of competition, announced Wednesday the body for the protection of competition. Hayatou protested in a statement received at the Agence France-Presse, a copy of the verdict, claiming that the case "had been presented from the beginning in accordance with the political agenda and the interests of some people ", and confirmed his intention to appeal the verdict.
The court ruled Tuesday against former officials "for violation of the law on the protection of competition.In terms of abuse of dominant position of the Union in the method and system of Granting of broadcasting rights related to football championships, which alone is entitled to be the subject of commercial exploitation. "In January 2017, the agency asked that former officials be brought to justice for "exploiting the exclusive rights of sponsorship and dissemination of the African continent and giving it directly to a single company (Lagardaire Sports)." Law according to the contract ending in September 2016 ", Stressing that" the company was renewed again before the end of the contract and for another period until 2028. "He explained that the renewal had taken place despite his attempt" since 2010 then June 2016 "of to send to the Confed African Football Federation (CAF) and the Egyptian Football Federation, to co-ordinate their actions with the Competition Protection Authority in the re-offer of the rights to commercialize and broadcast sports competitions for football in Africa . , In order to guarantee the protection of competition and to protect the rights of Egyptian football fans who have not received any response from the device or from all parties ".
At the time, reports indicated that the Egyptian television channel was interested in obtaining broadcasting rights for African competitions. In early 2017, the AU responded to accusations by the Egyptian agency that "its executive committee, after evaluating the various offers submitted and in strict compliance with the contractual conditions in force, agreed to renew the contract. with Lagardier ".
Hayatou, who badumed the presidency of the African Union for nearly three decades before losing last year's election against Ahmed Ahmed of Madagascar, said he and Al-Amrani would "do appeal of this verdict "and that he" reserved the right to refer the case to any competent international tribunal ". Hayatou expressed surprise at the fact that the court's decision punished him, as well as al-Amrani, "for the exoneration of any responsibility of the African Union even though Egyptian law" stipulates that individuals and the organization in which they work "take responsibility for solidarity".
(AFP)
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