Attorney General to seek ways to overturn TV rights deal

The cabinet has ordered the Attorney General, Rory Brady, to review the possibility that Irish and European legislation could overturn the TV rights deal between the FAI and Sky Sports.

Ministers discussed the deal at their weekly meeting today, but said they are unlikely to find a way to undermine the sell-off.

This is at variance with comments from many observers who believe that the Government can block the arrangement if it applies a 1997 EU directive that was incorporated into Irish law in the 1999 Broadcasting Act.

This allows EU member states to designate certain cultural events which must then be available free-of-charge on terrestrial television.