Italian clubs cross fingers over TV ruling
Reuters - Thursday 13 May 2010, 11:49
MILAN - Italian football could be thrown
into chaos on Friday if a court case about television rights,
the lifeblood of the sport, goes against the league and clubs.
Conto TV, a small satellite operator, has asked a Milan
court to annul a deal between Sky Italia and Serie A for the
television rights packages for matches for the next two seasons.
Conto tried to bid for matches and says the 1.149 billion
euro agreement was made "without competition in
the digital satellite sphere".
The Italian League has warned of dire consequences if
Conto's legal action is successful, although most club
presidents have said it is inconceivable the court would agree
to a measure which could destroy team finances.
"We don't want to paint a catastrophic scenario but it is
not difficult to imagine what could happen to football clubs,
fans and an extremely important part of the nation's economy
should Conto TV's appeal be upheld," a league statement said.
"The Serie A clubs would see their survival under threat."
Conto TV has been exploring legal avenues ever since July
when Sky Italia, a unit of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp,
again won the rights to broadcast all Serie A matches.
ANTITRUST SATISFIED
One appeal court already blocked the deal in November but
the league appealed and now another Milan court will hear the
case on Friday with a decision expected within 10 days.
Italy's laborious legal system has dragged on so much that
most fans were unaware of the potential threat but Italian media
have suddenly reacted with outrage given there would be no time
to renegotiate a new TV deal for next season if Conto TV wins.
Just like clubs across Europe, Italian sides rely on the
huge investment from television companies and the very framework
of the professional game would collapse if no money came through
and players could not be paid or bought.
Italy's antitrust authority had launched a probe into the
league's sale of TV soccer rights but ended its investigation in
January saying it was satisfied with the league's future
proposals.
That ruling is now under review in the courts.
The whole affair has left the league incredulous, even if
the antitrust ruling offers it strong hope of victory.
"It is not normal that an operator (Conto TV) that has not
shown any serious interest in bidding for the rights risks
blocking the activity of football clubs and the whole of Italian
football," the league statement continued.
In an unrelated move, the league is in the process of
splitting into two so that the top tier Serie A and second
division Serie B can manage their television and sponsorship
deals individually.
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