Sports bodies set for invite to TV sports debate

SPORTING bodies are to be invited to a public forum in Dublin Castle later this month to discuss Government plans to keep sports events on free-to-air television.

Communications Minister Dermot Ahern is sending invitations to all interested parties to participate in the day-long debate on August 26, but it's not clear if all groups will attend.

The FAI said yesterday it had already communicated its views to the Government and would consider attending but had not made a decision yet.

"We have voiced our concerns to the Government in a number of meetings over the impact of listing the games," said FAI spokesman Declan Conroy.

Other sporting bodies affected, such as the GAA and Irish Rugby Football Union, are also considering whether to attend the meeting.

The forum is part of a series of consultative measures the European Commission has asked the Government to implement prior to formally protecting the sporting events under legislation.

It is expected the Government's list of protected events will get a formal green light from Brussels in October just before Ireland's first home soccer international.

Events on the provisional list are: All-Ireland finals; the summer Olympics; soccer's World Cup Finals and European Championship Finals; the Rugby World Cup; the Irish Grand National Steeplechase; and the Irish Derby.

The FAI said its priority was still to strike a balance between the wishes of the fans and funding the future of the game in Ireland.

Mr Conroy said this was best served through the Sky deal because it offered a fair market value rather than being forced to sell the rights to a terrestrial station where RTÉ was the only dominant player.

The IRFU and GAA have also expressed concern about the proposed list, with the GAA's director general Liam Mulvihill saying that some form of compensation would have to be paid. However, the Government has firmly ruled this out.

It now seems almost certain the 7.5m FAI-Sky deal will end up in the courts once Brussels approves the Government's list of sporting events.

Sky has sought to diffuse the controversy by offering to televise Ireland's first home international on its Sky One service, which is not subscription-based but is only available to those with cable or satellite TV.

The Dublin Castle forum is also expected to include experts on EU broadcasting law who will offer opinions on the legislation aimed at keeping sports events on free-to-air TV.

Legislation incorporating the EU's Television without Frontiers directive has allowed the Government to designate important sports events and other major cultural events.