Football lovers in Nigeria have taken to Twitter to criticise DStv over their inability to watch the 2021 AFCON qualifiers.
SuperSports, a set of dedicated sports channels run by DStv, have been unable to show the games after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) cancelled its media and marketing rights agreement with French company, Lagardère Sports and Entertainment.
As the first round of the qualifying games for the 2021 AFCON got underway, millions of fans were dismayed to learn that the games were blacked out on TV screens and radio stations. The same applied to CAF’s Africa U-23 tournament in Egypt.
The 12-year media and marketing contract signed in 2015 hit rock bottom when in November 2018 the Economic Court in Egypt ruled that CAF did not open the rights acquisition to competitive bidding.
With that, SuperSport and others who bought broadcast rights from Lagardère lost the rights. However, BeIN Sports and some local channels in Africa broadcast CAF matches.
Notwithstanding, Nigerians have expressed their disappointment on Twitter.
