Fifa bans former Caf president Hayatou for flouting ‘ethics code’

Fifa has handed former Caf president Issa Hayatou a one-year ban from all football-related activities. 

Hayatou, 74, was found guilty for getting involved in the Lagardere Sports deal over the media and marketing rights of competitions organised by Caf while he was president of the African football ruling body.

Aside from the ban, the Cameroonian was hit with a fine of thirty thousand Swiss Franc (CHF 30,000).

According to the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee, the former interim Fifa boss breached article 15 (Duty of Loyalty) of the Fifa Code of Ethics.

“The investigation into Mr Hayatou’s conduct in his position as Caf president concerned his involvement in the negotiation, conclusion and signature of the memorandum of understanding and contractual agreement for the commercialisation of media and marketing rights of competitions organised by Caf with the company Lagardere Sports between 2014 and 2017,” a statement from Fifa website read.

“Based on information gathered by the investigatory chamber, Mr Hayatou had breached his duty of loyalty in his position as Caf president, by entering, in the name and on behalf of the confederation, into an anti-competitive agreement with Lagardere Sport which was detrimental and caused significant damage to Caf (both financially, in the amount of EGP 200 million, as well as to its reputation).

“Consequently, the adjudicatory chamber found that Mr Hayatou had breached article 15 of the current edition of the Fifa Code of Ethics and sanctioned him with a ban from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at both national and international level (administrative, sports or any other) for one year.”

This sanction takes effect from August 3 and that means that he will not be involved in January's Africa Cup of Nations that will be held in his homeland.

In June, Fifa also handed the former vice-president of the Caf, Constant Omari, a one-year ban from all football-related activities. 

He was found guilty of receiving aid from Lagardere during discussions between Caf and the French media outfit.

Omar was claimed to have pocketed over 66,000 Euro (US$80,000), and Fifa has requested he returns these as part of his punishment.