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Fifteen days after joining African football as FIFA's six-month general delegate, Senegalese Fatma Samoura has written to the 54 presidents of the African federations asking Fifa to sell the rights. African qualifiers for the next two World Cups, those of 2022 and 2026. The presidents of the federations will have to run before Wednesday, August 21st. But this mail raises mixed reactions in Africa.
It's a simple letter dated Tuesday, August 13th that causes a stir in African football. A very official letter, with FIFA's headline, signed by Fatma Samoura as Secretary General of the International Football Federation. Citing the desire of the 54 African federations to centralize the rights to broadcast the playoffs for the next two World Cups, those of 2022 and 2026, Fatma Samoura offers them to give an " irrevocable mandate " in writing to Fifa to commercialize these rights.
In her letter, she suggests that this approach could guarantee them an amount equivalent to twice what they had received for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, and undertakes to pay them all of the money raised after deducting only expenses incurred. The presidents of the 54 federations must return the signed form by Wednesday, August 21st.
It is true that the deadline, very tight, or the fact that Fatma Samoura writes to the presidents of the federations with a paper at the head of Fifa without the slightest reference to the African Confederation presided over by Ahmad, accentuates the impression that FIFA has well put under supervision the CAF . It is also true that UEFA strongly condemns FIFA's intervention in the major body of African football, seeing it as a conflict of interest.
Hurry up
This approach is far from unanimous in the world of football, but in Africa those who agree to talk about it are very favorable to the idea of FIFA to manage the rights of the World Cup qualifiers. Playoffs which constitute the only African competition of the teams A to have escaped the mega-contract signed three years ago by the CAF with the marketing company Lagardère Sports until 2028.
So far, each federation was supposed to negotiate the rights of the next two World Cup qualifiers on its side. By engaging in the process of centralized negotiation, African federations are hoping for greater and better distributed revenues, also escaping the generous commissions they must pay to Lagardère Sports in other competitions, including the CAN.
Some presidents thought that the subject was still to be debated within the CAF and are surprised by this letter. But it is also true that time is running out. The preliminary round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Africa starts in early September, and the group stage that will bring together the biggest teams starts in March. It is therefore necessary to put the product very quickly on the market, even if it gives this feeling of advancing on conquered terrain ...