Court of Arbitration for Sport overturns Issa Hayatou’s FIFA ban
On Friday, Cameroonian Issa Hayatou won an appeal ruling which overturns his ban by FIFA.
The Swiss Court of Arbitration for Sport said, on Friday, it upheld Hayatou’s appeal since “there was insufficient evidence” of misconduct. The court announced its verdict on the eve of the final of CAF’s marquee African Cup of Nations tournament hosted in Hayatou’s home country, Cameroon.
Hayatou was banned for one year after following an alleged breach of “duty of loyalty” rules.
Last August , a Fifa investigation concluded the 75-year-old man had signed an anti-competitive 12-year deal worth about $1 billion. The agreement signed with France-based sports agency Lagardère which gave exclusive rights to CAF competitions including the Cup of Nations and African Champions League through 2028.
The court said its panel of three arbitrators, who held a hearing by video link in December, also ordered FIFA to contribute to Hayatou’s legal costs. It also overturned a fine of 30,000 Swiss francs ($33,000).
The FIFA case did not affect Hayatou’s honorary membership of the International Olympic Committee. He got honorary status after his 15-year membership ended in 2016.
Hayatou was the president of CAF for 29 years until being unseated in a 2017 election where his opponent was supported by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Source: africaneditors.com
There is a good reason why you should support the African Editors. Not everyone can afford to pay for news right now. That is why we keep our journalism open for everyone to read, including in Ghana. If this is you, please continue to read for free. But if you are able to, then there are three good reasons to support us today.
1. Our quality, journalism is a scrutinising force at a time when the rich and powerful are getting away with more and more.
2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner pulling the strings, so your money directly powers our reporting.
3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message.
Help power the African Editors' journalism for the years to come, whether with a small sum or a larger one. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just 1 Ghana Cedi through mobile money number: 0599896099/ +23359989609 and you can be rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
