Frankfurt/Main (dpa) – The German Football League (DFL) is continuing its contract with the Russian media company Match TV for the time being and is donating the proceeds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
The DFL announced that there would be no extraordinary termination of the contract so that the anti-war calls and appeals for peace from the German stadiums could continue to reach the Russian population. The prerequisite for this is that Match TV can broadcast the basic signal provided by the DFL unchanged on the coming match day and beyond – including Ukraine-related messages from the league, players, clubs and fans.
“The DFL will carefully check the broadcast of the Bundesliga broadcasts in this regard,” said the DFL. “Should the basic TV signal be repeatedly censored, this would result in an extraordinary dismissal from the DFL.”
Bundesliga logo in national colors of Ukraine
All income that is still provided for in the current season by the contract will be donated to humanitarian aid in Ukraine, it is said. In the current situation, the association does not want to benefit from the income. The DFL wants to make a total of one million euros available to recognized aid organizations that are helping the Ukrainian population as a result of the Russian attack.
In the event that no more license payments are received from Russia, the donation of one million euros will be borne entirely by the DFL, the umbrella organization emphasized.
The DFL had condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine in the strongest possible terms – and recommended a minute’s silence at the games in the two Bundesliga games last weekend. Clubs and players have also initiated their own campaigns, such as designing special jerseys, and more are planned for the weekend.
With a view to the upcoming match day, the DFL wants to display the logo of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 as a sign of solidarity in the national colors of Ukraine in the international basic signal, as well as on its own digital platforms. Appropriate graphic elements are also sent to the national media partners.