LA LIGA WILL kick off as planned on the weekend of August 18th/19th, despite the ongoing dispute by Canal+ and Mediapro over television rights.
Canal+ claim that Mediapro’s announcement on Friday of an auction for TV rights violates an agreement between the Prisa-owned broadcaster and certain clubs.
They also state that they will take legal action to defend its interests. Canal+ believe that a Spanish court ruling that limits rights contracts to three years nullifies some of Mediapro’s deals.
“In that sense, and due to the lack of a framework to exploit TV rights three weeks before the beginning of La Liga, Canal+ intends to maintain and renew each season its commitment to its clients to offer the best matches,” Canal+ said in a statement carried in Spanish media.
“Furthermore, it reiterates its desire to continue working to find the best framework for the 2012/13 season and underlines the need to bring the situation back to normal as soon as possible,” the statement added.
The LFP, representing the 42 professional clubs in the top two divisions in Spain, insist that the start of the season is not under threat.
“Without any room for doubt, the league will begin on August 18 as planned in the official calendar and approved and confirmed by an assembly of Spanish football,” it said on its website.
Last season, the opening games in La Liga were delayed by a week in a bid to help players who had not been paid by clubs suffering from financial problems.
