Issa Hayatou
CAS overturns FIFA ban, fine on ex-CAF chief, Hayatou
Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld former interim president of FIFA, Issa Hayatou’s appeal against a one-year ban on him for violating the world football governing body’s ethics code.
CAS found insufficient evidence to establish a violation by the Cameroonian, Hayatou, who was Confederation of African Football (CAF) president for 29 years until being voted out in 2017.
“The challenged decision is set aside and no sanction is to be imposed on Hayatou,” CAS said in a statement, Friday.
Cameroon’s Hayatou, 75, was banned from all football-related activity at national and international level and fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($32,000) after a decision by the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee on June 17.
FIFA said an investigation into Hayatou’s conduct as CAF president concerned involvement in deals for media and marketing rights of CAF competitions with France-based Lagardere Sports between 2014 and 2017.
The chamber had ruled that Hayatou entered “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.”
FIFA had said this amounted to $13 million and caused reputational and financial damage.
Hayatou, who was acting president of FIFA from in 2015 and 2016 when Sepp Blatter was suspended amid a widespread corruption scandal, launched an appeal in August seeking annulment of the decision to ban and fine him.
