Government wins first leg of TV rights shoot-out
The Government will also map out next week a number of other major sporting events which will be protected from being bought up by deep pocketed stations such as Sky.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told FAI chiefs in a meeting yesterday that EU laws would allow the Government to intervene and ensure the games were screened for free.
But the FAI last night defended its signed contract with Sky and said it was trying to balance the concerns of fans with what was best for the game.
An FAI spokesman said: “We’re concerned about the supporters and fans, but we have a signed agreement with Sky and TV3 which is of tremendous benefit to the game at home.”
Association sources said changing the signed contract could pose serious legal problems and insisted the ball was now in Sky’s court, as it owned the exclusive rights to the Ireland’s home soccer games.
Sky declined to comment on yesterday developments but TV3 said a reversal of the deal would give them an opportunity to obtain the rights to Ireland’s home games.
The Government has received legal advice from the Attorney General that under an EU directive it may draw up a list of sporting events to be kept on free to air transmission, which would include Ireland’s home soccer internationals.
One government source said yesterday: “It clear that we can go ahead and list the games that’s the bottom line.”
This is a major shift from its position earlier this week when the Taoiseach indicated he was powerless to intervene in what he described as a private deal.
But public outcry over the deal, which would deprive thousands of fans from watching the matches, and fresh legal advice appears to have stirred the Government into action.
The move could cause a major headache for the FAI which last week signed a four year 7.5m deal which gave Sky exclusive live broadcast rights to the matches.
FAI sources said it was unthinkable that the association could lose this money which it planed to invest in the domestic game.
Communications Minister Dermot Ahern, meanwhile, will map out to the Cabinet next week plans to keep sporting events of national importance such as the All-Ireland finals on terrestrial TV.
