New TV deal to net FAI €10m a year

SOCCER:THE FAI are set to reap substantial benefits from Uefa's proposal to centrally sell the TV and commercial rights to the qualifying tournament for Euro 2016 as well as the European qualifying games for the 2018 World Cup.

In his acceptance speech at the Uefa Congress yesterday in Paris where he was handed unopposed a second four-year term as the organisation’s president, Michel Platini said all 53 member associations have now signed up to the deal which will be a major priority for him between now and 2015.

Although a great deal of work still has to be done to put everything in place, the intention is to create a central fund into which all revenues from the broadcast rights for qualifying would be paid, with associations then guaranteed an annual payment. According to FAI chief executive John Delaney the Irish association, who have struggled recently due to poor ticket sales at the Aviva stadium, are in line to receive around €10 million a year for the initial four years of the scheme plus a share of a centralised commercial pool, much like the one operated in relation to the Champions League.

The hope is to substantially grow the total TV income generated across the continent, dramatically cut down on the amount of money being paid to agents and other third parties while maximising those commercial revenues.

Certainly the figures being promised to associations in return for their support for the initiative have suggested there is considerable confidence regarding the potential of the plan.

The French were won over with a commitment of slightly more than €4 million per competitive game, while English backing was finally secured in return for a commitment of around €115 million over four years.

All of the figures mentioned so far are reckoned to be higher than the sums secured up to now by the respective associations.

But the particular advantage of the proposal for the FAI would be the ability to accurately project revenues into the future rather than having to worry about whether the top seeds in their qualification are a Germany – whose game in Dublin during the Euro 2008 campaign earned the association around €10 million from German TV – or a Russia, whose game here last autumn brought roughly €250,000 from that nation’s broadcasters.

“In the past the FAI would have sold rights for games independently from Uefa so in other words, if we were playing Germany in Ireland we’d sell the rights to RTÉ for the home game and Sky and then sell the away rights to Germany , to German television,” said Delaney from Paris yesterday.

“What will be formalised now is that from 2014 onwards Uefa will sell all the television rights. This deal is worth in the order of €40 million to us in terms of minimum commitments we would get from Uefa. Also we keep our own friendly rights and there’s a marketing pool to be distributed as well. It will be of huge significant financial benefit to the FAI and of course all the other countries in Uefa.

“The deal that we signed up to,” he continued, “and was approved today will give us guaranteed revenues in the order of €40 million. It’s great. We said that by 2020 we would have no debt on the Aviva Stadium and a deal like today rubber-stamps the commitment we gave to Irish football. It’s a good day for us, no doubt about it.”

In Ireland, the rights to the national team’s home games will have to be sold to free to air Irish broadcasters as the matches are listed events under legislation and Delaney said that he does not see any change to that.

He also said coverage of the Irish club game would be unaffected but this seems rather more unlikely. RTÉ are currently committed to broadcasting not only a weekly highlights programme – Monday Night Soccer – but also regular live games under the terms of its deal with the association which, like Sky’s, runs until 2014. It is unlikely that sort of commitment would pertain if the rights to competitive internationals were no longer part of the consideration.

Whatever the drawbacks, Platini is happy the plan will prove successful.

“I believe in this centralisation project because it is a project aimed, above all, at protecting and developing national team football. And what is more, the knock-on effect will be guaranteed revenue for each association.”

PLATINI WEIGHING UP HIS OPTIONS IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE

MICHEL PLATINI will speak to senior Uefa figures before declaring support for either Sepp Blatter or Mohamed Bin Hammam in the Fifa presidential election contest.

Platini, himself re-elected unopposed as Uefa president for four more years, is a former advisor to Blatter and worked for him when he was first elected Fifa president in 1998.

Uefa’s backing could prove decisive but the Frenchman said his position at the head of European football meant he to had to consult others in Uefa before committing himself.

Blatter yesterday announced at the Uefa Congress that he will step down in 2015 if he is re-elected. The announcement appears to be a direct appeal to the 53 European countries to support him and then he will make way for Platini in four years’ time.

Platini said in Paris: “You ask me who I will support? In 1998 I was only Michel Platini, I was only thinking of myself.

“Today I’m president of Uefa and this is something new. There are two candidates – I’m going to think about this, consult with my vice-presidents and the executive committee and see what position we will adopt. . . .”

Asked whether he would consider standing for the FIFA presidency in 2015, Platini said: “Let’s meet again in three years and then I will tell you.”