CRCICA has been exclusively chosen as the arbitral institution in the arbitration clause enshrined in the Headquarters Agreement between the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the government of the Arab Republic of Egypt (ARE) (hereinafter the “Headquarters Agreement”). By virtue of the Egyptian Presidential Decree No. 149 of 2020, the Headquarters Agreement was signed on 12 February 2020 and published in Egypt’s Official Gazette (Vol. 31) on 4 August 2020. Article (20) of the Headquarters Agreement, as part of a multi-tier procedure, entails an arbitration clause before CRCICA reflecting the core role of CRCICA as the oldest arbitral institution in Africa as well as the privileges of the amicable settlement of disputes. The Headquarters Agreement was signed by CAF President Mr. Ahmad Ahmad, with Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, who signed on behalf of Egypt, in the presence of Egyptian Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly.
CAF Statement: https://www.cafonline.com/news-center/news/press-release-caf-signs-headquarters-agreement-with-the-egyptian-government
Notably, Egypt was one of the founders of the CAF in 1957 and has been hosting its headquarter since its commencement. The Headquarters Agreement recognizes the international legal personality of CAF as an international non-governmental organization. Under this Headquarters Agreement, CAF shall benefit from several advantages, immunities and privileges similar to those granted to international organizations and diplomatic missions.
CRCICA was established by virtue of the Head Quarter’s Agreement between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the African Legal Consultative Committee (AALCO) in May 1987. Pursuant to this Agreement, CRCICA is an independent non-profit international organization enjoying all the privileges and immunities of independent international organizations in Egypt.
Head Quarter’s Agreement between Egypt and AALCO in May 1987: https://www.crcica.org/FilesEnglish/Organization_Borad_Advisor2016-05-14_14-42-29-675121.pdff
It is worth noting that CRCICA was nominated in July 2012 as a host of the Alternative Hearing Centre (AHC) for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), based in Switzerland, by virtue of the agreement concluded with the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS).
For more information https://crcica.org/newsletters/nl201202/crnl201202nl.html
It is also worth highlighting that CRCICA was the Regional Partner of the 7th AIAF Congress held in Cairo in October 2019, which was organized for the first time in Africa by the International Association of Football Lawyers (AIAF) in partnership with Sports Makers & Football Legal under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sport. The Official Partner was the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Local Partner was Ibrachy Legal Consultancy, based in Egypt.
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