Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance's TMT practice advises Fox Networks Group on a landmark media rights deal in African football

International law firm Clifford Chance's TMT practice in London has advised Fox Networks Group (Europe & Africa) on a landmark media rights deal in African football.

Zone West African Football Union A (Zone West A) and Zone West Africa Football Union B (Zone West B) will work with Fox Sports to organise a series of regional football tournaments involving the Zone West A and Zone West B member nations.

Beginning in summer 2017, the 16 nations in the two zones including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire will be competing in the Zone West A Cup or Zone West B Cup for regional footballing supremacy and the opportunities this brings to attract and retain supporters.

All of the matches will be broadcast exclusively across Africa by Fox Sports. Alongside the flagship tournaments, the parties will run a range of quarterly regional events aimed at the expansion and development of football in West Africa.

Clifford Chance worked with Fox Network Group Europe & Africa to help design and implement an organisational and legal structure that enables Fox Sports, West Zone A and West Zone B to develop this prestigious tournament, which will become a prominent feature of the international footballing calendar.‎

Head of TMT, Daniel Sandelson, said: "This ground-breaking tournament is a truly superb mandate for us, following our roles in engagements such as Official Law Firm of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The combination of our sports and media practice with our market-leading Africa Group enabled us to give support to FNG Europe & Africa in structuring this pioneering transaction to maximise the value of all the various rights for all concerned. Sports in Africa is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, and the combination of Continent-wide communications networks, new rights and developing economic success is giving birth to virtuous circles of investment in sport to the benefit of the Continent."

The Clifford Chance team was led by Daniel Sandelson, alongside Jennifer Mbaluto, Titus Edjua (Clifford Chance's Director of the Africa Group) and Mark Comber.