 n the mediation procedure initiated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Togo Football Federation (TFF) reached an agreement at the Home of FIFA in Zurich today (7 May 2010) in relation to their dispute over the CAF Executive Committee’s decision to exclude the TFF from the next two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations. The TFF had filed an appeal against this decision by the CAF with CAS, and both parties had agreed to meet under the mediation of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter (as a mediator registered with CAS) in order to resolve the dispute.
According to the agreement, the CAF President has accepted to ask the CAF Executive Committee to lift the sanction excluding the TFF from the next two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, as the TFF agreed that it had not communicated to the CAF the withdrawal of its team from the Africa Cup of Nations Angola 2010 in accordance with the competition regulations. The TFF also acknowledged that the CAF Executive Committee had taken its decision of 30 January 2010 in application of the relevant regulations.
“I am very pleased that we have been able to find a solution which is satisfactory for both parties. Today marks a victory for the whole football family, particularly for African football. This shows that we can solve internal disputes within the football family for the benefit of all those who are involved in our game, and in particular for the players,” said the FIFA President after the meeting.
“Considering the emotional circumstances surrounding this case, it was very important for the parties to find a reasonable solution in order to put an end to their dispute. This is good news for the players of the Togolese team as well as for CAS, which has been able to bring this mediation to a successful conclusion,” added Matthieu Reeb, Secretary General of CAS. |
