FAI insists on Sky Sports contract

THE FAI last night insisted that it must honour its broadcast contract with Sky Sports as the Government cleared measures to make international soccer games available on non-subscription channels.

Minister for Communications Dermot Ahern also rejected claims that rugby was given preferential treatment by not including the Six Nations Championship on the new designated list.

“In practice we do not envisage the Six Nations games being sold to a subscription channel. The experience in England was that an experiment along those lines did not work,” a spokesman for the minister said.

The protected events list must now go before the Dáil and Seanad and then get clearance at European Union level.

This process is expected to take up to next February to complete in time for the next scheduled soccer game involving the Republic of Ireland and Albania in June.

The minister said that he regretted that it was not possible to ensure that today’s soccer international, where Ireland face Switzerland in the European Championships, be made available on free-to-air television.

Mr Ahern, who got the support of Cabinet colleagues for the special list yesterday, said that he had engaged in the widest possible consultation and made every effort to ensure fairness. He also insisted that the Government’s legal advisors were confident that he had the authority to make such a move in spite of the controversial 6.5m FAI-Sky deal announced in July.

But officials also indicated that the Government is moving to copperfasten this right by changing the legislation enacted in 1999.

Another change in the legislation will provide for arbitrators to determine a fair market value for TV sports’ rights.

Mr Ahern said sporting bodies must take a realistic view of the size of Irish viewing audiences and the financial strength of the broadcast organisations.

But the arbitration mechanism will be there for when negotiations break down and Mr Ahern said this was at the request of the sporting organisations.

However, the FAI last night remained implacable in its determination to honour the deal with Sky. A spokesman said that nothing had changed and the association was determined to maximise revenues to ensure the development of the game.

Labour communications spokesman Eamon Gilmore last night said the deal meant that Irish viewers and sports’ fans had become victims of Government mismanagement. Mr Gilmore said yesterday’s government decision was another attempt to repair a serious gap in the original 1999 legislation.

Special List

* The Summer Olympics

* All-Ireland Senior Hurling and Football Finals.

* Ireland’s Soccer European Championship qualifiers.

* Ireland’s Soccer World Cup qualifiers.

* All games involving Ireland in the European Championships.

* All games involving Ireland in the World Cup Finals.

* Irish Grand National and Derby horse races.

* Dublin Horse Show - Nations’ Cup.

* Ireland rugby World Cup games.