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African football
will earn almost $140 million in television and marketing revenue from
its competitions over the seven years to 2017, according to
Confederation of African Football financial statements.

The figures show a
jump of more than 100 per cent in revenue from what the previously
cash-strapped organisation could attract for its showcase competitions
some five years ago.

All the money is
from sports agency Sportfive, which has blanket rights to the major
African competitions and is providing a minimum guarantee of $137.45
million for the rights to six different competitions.

There will be $46.8
million for four successive editions of the African Nations Cup finals,
starting with last year’s tournament in Angola to the 2015 finals in
Morocco. Up to 2008, CAF earned $5.5 million every two years for
Nations Cup rights.

A seven-year deal
for the rights to the African Champions League and the African
Confederation Cup, the two annual club competitions, will earn CAF
$71.4 million through to 2017.

African football’s
governing body was previously paid $5 million annually for the club
competition rights although before 1997 they did not generate any money.

New tournament

CAF will earn a
further $17 million until 2015 for the African Nations Championship, a
new tournament for national sides held every two years made up of
locally-based players.

Sportfive, part of
Lagardere Sports, has also paid $2.25 million for the rights until 2016
to the African Youth Championships at under-20 level and the African
Under-17 Championship, both of which are held every two years.

The CAF financial
report for 2010, released to reporters on Thursday, showed a surplus of
$15.53 million, a big jump on the operating profit of under $1 million
announced one year ago.

CAF said from next year the 16 teams reaching the Nations Cup finals would share a guaranteed prize pot of $10 million.

The report also
said CAF was negotiating to sell the television rights for the Nations
Cup qualifiers to guarantee each member association more than $150,000
each.

“This is very
significant for the smaller associations who in the past were not able
to sell any TV rights,” said CAF finance committee chairman Suketu
Patel.

Patel added that the growing marketability of African football came
from its increasing band of world-class players overseas and the
attractive publicity around the African game.