African TV broadcast row: Caf broke contract as beIN Sports ‘owed $98m’

In response, a beIN spokesperson agreed that the last payment to Caf was nearly 18 months ago, albeit with a different recollection about its nature.

“We paid a goodwill payment of $32.5m (£26m) in February 2022 during Afcon,” the spokesperson told the BBC.

“Given the nature of our ongoing dispute regarding contractual issues, we could have paid nothing at all. But we did in goodwill – and in the context of investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Caf over more than a decade, and being Caf’s broadcast partner in nearly 40 countries worldwide.”

Admitting that it owes “$88.3m (£71m) plus interest”, beIN – which says it sees “no extra value” in the expanded 24-team Cup of Nations – has simply refused to pay as it seeks reductions which Caf has not been agreeing to.

BeIN also believes the new Fifa-backed African Football League (AFL), which gets underway for the first time next month, has further reduced the worth of its rights given the African Champions League has seemingly been usurped by the arrival of the elite eight-team event.

“In introducing a new top-tier tournament, you destroy the value of the previous rights while asking for more money for new rights,” said the beIN spokesperson.

September declined to comment on any of the claims above, saying that Caf president Patrice Motsepe will do so at an appropriate time.

“At the moment, I cannot say much on this,” September said.

“But there is a great deal of comfort in knowing that African football leaders speak with one voice. At the appropriate time, our president Dr Patrice Motsepe will address this matter with the media.”

September was speaking after Caf’s executive committee held a virtual meeting on 7 September.

A Caf press release later stated that decisions “taken by the Caf leadership were…unanimously ratified”, external, suggesting that the executive committee, originally kept out of the talks to terminate the beIN Sports contract, agreed with the approach.