Governing Bodies
African football paid out $50-million settlement over marketing rights
African football paid $50-million in an out of court settlement to former marketing company Lagardere Sports after abruptly cancelling their long-term agreement, the Confederation of African Football’s congress was told on Tuesday.
The French company had sued for compensation after their 10-year, $1-billion agreement was abruptly cancelled in 2019.
Lagardere Sports held the marketing, sponsorship and television rights to all CAF competitions for two decades, but CAF said it had to cancel the deal after two court rulings found that the agreement was made without proper tender.
The company, now known as Lagardere Unlimited, sued for compensation before accepting a settlement, with CAF paying in two equal tranches, the last of which was paid at the end of last year, CAF’s finance committee vice chairman Andrew Kamanga said.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe told congress the organisation had made a $72-million profit from this year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast, significantly increased from a $4-million profit for the 2021 finals in Cameroon.
CAF said it projected a revenue of almost $150 million for the 2024-2025 financial year, with expenses of $138.2 million.
Some 30% of the budget would be spent on development programmes and contributions to CAF’s 54-member associations.
A proposal was approved to give each association president an annual salary of $50,000 from the $400,000 annual contribution.
Motsepe, expected to stand for re-election next year, said CAF wanted to increase African football’s revenue to $1-billion over the next eight years. “We are having a lot of discussions with potential sponsors,” he told the congress in the Ethiopian capital.
He said CAF wanted to give $1-million annually to each member association from 2026.
Motsepe also said CAF were reviewing rules on the treatment of visiting teams in the wake of Nigeria’s national team being held at a Libyan airport for a half day before last week’s scheduled Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Nigeria refused to play the game after saying they had been held hostage by Libyan authorities who diverted their charter plane to an unused airfield and then left them waiting.
“National teams must be treated with respect. If there are violations, we’ll take action,” said Motsepe.
-Reuters
A group of over 100 professional women’s soccer players on Monday sent an open letter to FIFA urging the world governing body to end its partnership with oil and gas conglomerate Saudi Aramco.
In April, FIFA signed a four-year deal that will see Aramco become a worldwide partner, including in major tournaments such as the 2026 World Cup and the Women’s World Cup the following year.
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in sports like soccer, Formula One and golf in the last few years while critics, including women’s rights groups and members of the LGBTQ community, accuse the kingdom of using its Public Investment Fund (PIF) to “sportswash” its human rights record.
The country denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its national security through its laws.
Manchester City striker Vivianne Miedema, Canada captain Jessie Fleming and ex-United States skipper Becky Sauerbrunn were among the players to sign the letter.
“We urge FIFA to reconsider this partnership and replace Saudi Aramco with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet,” the players said in the letter.
They also proposed setting up a review committee with player representation to evaluate the ethical implications of future sponsorship deals.
FIFA pointed to the impact of sponsorship revenues on investment in the women’s game.
“FIFA values its partnership with Aramco and its many others commercial and rights partners,” a spokesperson for FIFA said.
“FIFA is an inclusive organisation with many commercial partners also supporting other organisations in football and other sports.
“Sponsorship revenues generated by FIFA are reinvested back into the game at all levels and investment in women’s football continues to increase, including for the historic FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup and its groundbreaking new distribution model.”
A representative for Aramco said they would respond to the letter at the earliest opportunity.
-Reuters
The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) will hold its Executive Committee (“EXCO”) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday, 21 October 2024.
The Executive Committee meeting, to be chaired by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, will start at 10h30 local time (07h30 GMT).
The meeting will be held ahead of the 46th Ordinary General Assembly which will also take place in the Ethiopian capital on Tuesday, 22 October 2024 at 10h00 local time (07h00 GMT).
Wahid Oshodi, the newly elected President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) has made an immediate call to the private sector to boost table tennis on the continent.
His approach focuses on not relying solely on public funds but on seeking corporate investment to elevate the sport.
He has launched an ambitious strategy to strengthen the development of table tennis in Africa.
His first step has been to solicit the backing of the private sector, which he sees as crucial to taking the sport to the next level.
In his inaugural address, Oshodi emphasised that relying exclusively on government funding and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) “will not be enough to boost the sport across the continent.”
“It’s time to involve private and corporate organisations to help table tennis flourish in Africa.
“We cannot continue depending solely on government funding. We aim to raise the standards and produce more African superstars who can shine globally,” stated the new ATTF president, seeking a significant financial injection to tackle the challenges and ambitions set out for his tenure.
His election, held on 15 October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was unanimous. Indeed, a clear acknowledgement of his international reputation and dedication to table tennis.
Oshodi, who was previously elected Vice President of the ATTF in 2019 and Executive Vice President of the ITTF in 2021, has more than proven his ability to lead the sport’s development both in his home country and across the continent.
The Lagos-born leader is not only focused on funding but also on fostering unity among ATTF member associations. He believes that a united continent will be stronger and better positioned to succeed on the global stage. “Unity is key. Together, we can achieve more for table tennis in Africa,” he added.
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