Hayatou and his former secretary general Hicham El Amrani have both been ordered to pay $27.9 million (£21.9 million/€24.7 million) by the Egyptian Economic Court, in relation to a billion-dollar broadcasting deal signed between French broadcasting company Lagardère and CAF back in 2015.

It gave the firm exclusive broadcasting and sponsorship rights for various competitions, including the Africa Cup of Nations, but the Egyptian court ruled that it violated the country’s competition law.

Following two years of legal proceedings, the court claimed the deal was signed without a tender.

A report on Inside World Football quotes the 72-year-old Hayatou, an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee and who, in 2016, briefly served as acting President of FIFA, as saying the verdict is "grotesque".

"It constitutes a flagrant disregard for the facts of the case and for the provisions of Egyptian and international competition law," he reportedly said.

"There is no doubt from the beginning that this case has been initiated with a clear political agenda and for the benefit of certain individuals, in an attempt to damage my reputation and that of the former general secretary."

Egyptian authorities maintain CAF is governed by their laws because the body is based in Cairo.

However, no sanctions have been placed on CAF itself, with only Hayatou and El Amrani targeted.

"The decision of the Economic Court to condemn us while clearing CAF is in flagrant violation … of the Egyptian Competition Law, the individuals concerned and the entity represented being legally inseparable and jointly liable," Hayatou added.

A statement put out by Lagardère also condemned the verdict.

"Upon reviewing the judgement, it is clear that it contains both material factual errors as well as fundamental misapplication of basic competition laws," their statement read.

Hayatou ran CAF for 29 years but was voted out in last year’s Presidential election won by Ahmed Ahmed from Madagascar.