The broadcasting crisis affecting the African Champions League (ACL) and Confederation Cup Championships is becoming more serious, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) threatening to ban the Egyptian clubs in the ACL and Confederation Cup Championships, even if they qualify for the quarterfinals in both championships, if they don't solve the row. The four concerned Egyptian clubs - (Al-Ahly, Ismaili, Petrojet and Harras Al-Hodoud) - have asked the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) to sign an agreement organised by the CAF and Sport Five marketing company, allowing the CAF and the company to broadcast the matches for free, but the head of the ERTU, Osama el-Sheikh, wants Sport Five to pay $100,000 for transmitting. However, the company has refused, and el-Sheikh says the governmental union won't broadcast the matches for free, as that would be a waste of public money. “We want the best for the public, the clubs and the union itself. We are also ready to meet with representatives from the CAF and Sport Five to solve the problem,” he stresses. The CAF recently contacted Ahly about solving this problem before May 9 and the Egyptian club has called on officials to convince the ETRU to change its mind. In related news, Ahly are preparing for the African Champions League second leg of the last 16 when they meet Ittihad of Libya in Cairo next Sunday. The Libyan side defeated Ahly 2-0 in the first leg in Tripoli last month. The Red Devils need to win by a three-goal margin to book their berth in the quarters. Al-Ahly, who have just secured a sixth successive local league title, are suffering from injuries to some key players. The club are racing against the time to help Emad Met'eb and Ahmed Fathi get fit for the clash. Ismaili, meanwhile, are setting their eyes on the ACL championship, after a 1-1 draw with Ahly last Monday in the local league. The result means that Ismaili won't be runners-up to Ahly in the league. On Sunday in Cairo, the Canal-based club host Al-Hilal of Sudan for their second-leg match in the African championship. Ismaili beat the Sudanese side 1-0 away two weeks ago.
