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Fans attack journalists Chaos threatened in Italian soccer TV disputePosted: Friday July 19, 2002 8:14 AMUpdated: Friday July 19, 2002 11:06 AM MILAN (Reuters) -- The Italian Football League are threatening a chaotic splitting of the fixture list unless television companies agree to a deal for eight clubs without pay-per-view contracts for next season. Italy's two digital television platforms, Tele Piu and Stream have rejected a combined 80 million euro (US$80.62 million) deal with the eight clubs. "It is obvious that if there is no accord, we will find alternative solutions for those eight clubs in Serie A without television contracts," League president Adriano Galliani told the daily Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday. "We would play four at home and four away at different times....so that the matches could be sold to private companies, in syndication or to pay TV," Galliani added. The uncertainty surrounding the television deals, a vital source of income for clubs, is adding to the woes of Italian clubs who are already having to deal with heavy losses and growing debts. The League chief also said that the big clubs who have contracts would support the eight by not agreeing to play games in the evening for television purposes. "This is our way to put pressure on the television companies. It is not a threat but it is our only way to protect and therefore to sell the matches of the eight clubs. I hope though that we won't reach that stage," said Galliani. Nights out Should the threat be carried out, games would be spread across different kick off times throughout the weekend with the pay channels missing out on the popular late Sunday night clashes between the big teams. That would allow the eight to sell the rights to each game on an individual match-by-match basis but would lead to fixture chaos for fans. The eight teams without contracts are Atalanta, Brescia, Chievo, Perugia, Piacenza and promoted Empoli, Como and Modena. Loss-making Stream and Telepiu are seeking to reduce the prize of rights for smaller teams but are tied into long-term deals with some of the big-name clubs. Further financial strife looms if a proposed merger between the two goes through. Juventus have a contract with Telepiu which runs until the end of the 2004-05 season and last year pocketed 59.39 million euro ($59.85 million) from the deal, Gazzetta said. The League are also without an agreement yet with state television station RAI for a highlights package. Gazzetta said RAI have offered to pay little more than half of last season's 89 million euro ($89.69 million) deal. "We won't sell the product at the price proposed by RAI," said Galliani. "The turnover for RAI for 2002 is perfectly in line with that of 2001. I don't see why the amount paid last year should be dramatically reduced. "They are offering 40-50 percent less, there is no logic in this move, why is football being so undervalued by the management of RAI?" said Galliani. Although a battle over highlights rights with RAI is an annual affair in Italian soccer, the general slump in the advertising market is clearly making RAI wary of making another big expenditure on the game in a year where they forked out heavily for the rights to the World Cup finals. League rejects calls for delayed seasonThe Italian Football League have rejected calls to delay the start of the Serie A season due to the game's cash crisis. Roma president Franco Sensi had urged the league to postpone the start of the season until October but Football League president Adriano Galliani said the campaign would begin as planned. "The Serie A championship will start as normal on September 1 and we will announce the fixtures on August 1," said Galliani. Sensi and other club presidents had argued that the growing financial problems in the Italian game required an extended break to help clubs resolve their budget problems. A survey published Thursday by Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore showed Serie A clubs made a combined operating loss of 702 million euros (US$706.2 million) for the 2000-01 season. Lazio fans attack journalists at training campThree journalists required medical treatment on Friday after they were attacked by fans while covering Serie A club Lazio's pre-season training camp, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The report said the fans, members of Lazio's hardcore "ultras" group, attacked a group of journalists at the camp in Vigo di Fassa in northeastern Italy. Police intervened to restore order and Lazio condemned the supporters. "Lazio expresses its strongest condemnation of the events and its total solidarity with the journalists who were victims of the aggression," the Rome club said in a statement. Lazio's "ultras" have gained a reputation for violence and have been fined on several occasions for racially abusing players. Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti has introduced several initiatives aimed at eliminating the influence of the hardcore minority. Spartak denies Sychyov Milan transfer rumorMOSCOW -- Russian champions Spartak Moscow on Friday denied media rumors that they were planning to sell striker Dmitry Sychyov to Italy's AC Milan. Russian daily Sport-Express reported on Thursday that Spartak president Andrei Chervichenko had gone to Italy to hold talks with the Serie A side over Sychyov's future. The newspaper said the 18-year-old could join Milan next year for a fee of around $10 million. "That is not the case," Spartak spokesman Alexei Zinin told Reuters. "Spartak is not in the market to sell Sychyov at the moment and Chervichenko did not go to Italy to try to negotiate this deal." The striker made a good impression in the World Cup despite Russia's poor showing, playing a part in all four of his team's goals. Sychyov, who is second top scorer in the Russian premier league with nine goals, will be out of action for the next few weeks after sustaining a stress fracture in his foot in last week's match against Zenit St Petersburg.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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