CAF President Ahmad to review TV deal and AFCON timing

By Daily Sports on April 8, 2017

Contentious decisions on African football’s television rights and tournament hosting agreements will be reviewed in the coming months, new Confederation of African Football President (CAF) Ahmad said on Friday.

The possibility of changing the timing of Africa Cup of Nations finals is also on the cards, as well as the qualification process for junior tournaments.

“I will be discussing with as many stake holders as there around African football to come up with the best solution for the problems,” Ahmad, who uses only one name, told a media conference in Johannesburg after meeting with presidents of southern Africa’s football associations.

The new CAF president, who comes from Madagascar, pulled off an upset triumph over long-term incumbent Issa Hayatou in last month's elections.

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 $1bn (£807m) in income over the next 12 years. Last month’s CAF Congress was told this could be more in the region of $1.5bn (£1.2bn).

Ahmad said he would also consider switching the hosting of the Nations Cup from January to mid-year and also look at its two-year frequency.

“It is the big stars who make this tournament and I will be talking to them to see how they feel. This is something where we need to consider many different points of view,” he said.

African footballers at European clubs are under increasing pressure to forego the tournament because it falls in the middle of their club season.

Ahead of January’s finals in Gabon, nine players took the unprecedented step of turning down call-ups to play for the country in order to stay at their clubs.

Ahmad said CAF would also look at regionalising qualification for its Under-20 and Under-17 Championship.

Phillip Chiyangwa, president of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations, said his organisation would also seek to reverse CAF’s decision to host the next three Nations Cup tournaments in francophone countries in West Africa.

The 2019 tournament is to be held in Cameroon, the 2021 finals in the Ivory Coast and 2023 was handed to Guinea.

“They were politically aggressively awarded to those countries. Only one region is benefiting from all competitions,” he said. “There must be a commission of enquiry into how this came about and we are going to protest it.”

Ahmad takes charge of his first CAF executive committee meeting in Bahrain on 8 May, just days before the FIFA Congress. (BBC)

Photo shows CAF President Ahmad.

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 8, 2017


 

You may also like...
Formula 1 Teams Agree Cost-Cutting Package

Mahrez: I Don’t See Higher Than Man City...

Battling Ikorodu United confirm demotion

Monaco Held As French Ligue 1 Season Kicks...

Abia Warriors must win NPFL title - Boboye...

Real Madrid Football academy takes off in Port...

 

Latest News CHAN Eagles Gear up For Ghana Clash Onitsha Country Club Plans Tennis Academy With Facility New Facelift Nigeria beat Cameroon to reach IHF final 27 schools for Doregos Basketball Championship Super Falcons to play France’s Les Bleues in friendly SWAN suspends ban on coverage of Anambra FA activities Joshua among boxing’s top three earners in 2024 Oshoala makes history with Bay FC Nnamani hails team over IHF bright start Flamingos lift U-17 W’Cup Fair Play Trophy Rangers Intl, SWAN partner on sports collaboration in SE LAGOS SWAN CELEBRATES AIG ZONE 2 ON HIS BIRTHDAY AND 30 DAYS IN OFFICE

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,142 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,269 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,351 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (43,992 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (43,932 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (43,879 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (43,718 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,289 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,333 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,036 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,490 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (38,917 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media