Muristek
A logo of Italy's Lega Serie A is seen in Milan December 17, 2019. — Reuters pic
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MILAN, April 6 — Serie A currently has no plans to stop live broadcasts of its matches in Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine, but it will continue to monitor the situation, the president of Italy’s top flight football league, Lorenzo Casini, said on Tuesday.
Asked during a press briefing if Serie A was considering whether to stop showing its matches in Russia, Casini said Italian clubs had decided for now to continue live broadcasts of games “to convoy peace messages to Russian fans”.
However, he said discussions on the matter were ongoing and the issue will be raised at a meeting with clubs next week.
Major European football leagues have reacted differently to the Ukrainian crisis.
While the Premier League and France’s Ligue 1 suspended live broadcasts of their games in Russia, Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A displayed messages to viewers during the games condemning Russia’s invasion or calling for peace in Ukraine.
Last year Serie A awarded marketing agency Infront the management of most of its international broadcasting rights for three seasons until 2023/2024 in a deal worth €417 million (RM1.9 billion).
As part of the deal, Infront, owned by China’s Wanda Sport Group, is managing Serie A’s media rights in Russia, and sealed a contract with local broadcaster Match TV on behalf of Serie A.
The agreement is worth about € 10-12 million a season, according to two sources familiar with the matter. — Reuters