RTÉ to broadcast 200 hours of live soccer

RTÉ Television yesterday unveiled details of over 200 hours of live soccer coverage for the new season.

The station will broadcast all of the Republic of Ireland’s remaining crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers, Tuesday and Wednesday night’s live Champions League coverage, The Premiership, Eircom League, the FAI Ford Cup semi-finals and final, plus the FIFA Woman’s World Cup final.

Showcasing their renowned punditry skills will be RTÉ’s unrivalled soccer team including John Giles, Eamon Dunphy, Liam Brady, Graeme Souness, Ray Houghton and Trevor Steven, who will be joined this season by former Republic of Ireland captain Kenny Cunningham and midfielder Ronnie Whelan.

Presenters Bill O’Herlihy, Darragh Maloney, Peter Collins and Con Murphy will anchor proceedings while RTÉ soccer correspondent Tony O’Donoghue will continue to bring fans all the latest football news and key interviews.

In addition to the hundreds of hours of soccer coverage at international, European and domestic level this season, RTÉ Television will exclusively broadcast the UEFA Euro 2008 Championships next summer live from Austria and Switzerland. RTÉ Sport has also been awarded the broadcasting rights for the FIFA 2010 and 2014 World Cups as part of its extensive portfolio of major international sports events.

Glen Killane, group head of sport RTÉ, said “RTÉ Sport’s unrivalled soccer team are really looking forward to the prospect of delivering an exciting domestic and international season culminating in the Euro 2008 championships. In an increasingly competitive market, RTÉ Sport is proud to deliver such a range and breadth of coverage to soccer fans throughout Ireland free-to-air.”