During a meeting at his office on Wednesday with African Football Federation president Issa Hayatou, the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, pledged to support and secure the African Olympic Qualifiers.
Tantawi was joined in the pledge by Egyptian Football Association (EFA) President Samir Zaher, and FIFA Executive Committee member Hani Abu Rida. The meeting was attended by Major General Saifuddin Bassiouni, a member of the Governing Council of the Football Federation.
During the meeting, Tantawi and Hayatou discussed the African Under-23 Championship, which will be played from 26 November to 10 December 2011 in Egypt, and how to secure it. The attendees also addressed broadcasting issues.
Meanwhile, Zaher said the meeting was fruitful, especially since Tantawi pledged to secure all of the football matches. He called on Egyptian football fans to abide by stadium rules so as to preserve Egypt's reputation abroad.
Zaher went on to say that solutions were in the pipeline for various problems relating to satellite TV broadcasting, the EFA, and football clubs’ rights vis-a-vis television channels.
Zaher held another meeting with the same officals, in the presence of Committee Chairman Major General Essam Siam, to discuss problems encountered during last football season and how to avoid any future problems. He vowed to solve the referees' financial problems if the season is successful.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
