Sports inside
A Russian television station is allowed to continue showing Bundesliga games. The German Football League collects money for this, but donates it. Some clubs would have preferred to book it as revenue.
In more than 200 countries, it is possible to watch Bundesliga football from providers who have acquired license rights to do so. Russia is one of them. The channel “Match TV” shows all games from the area of the German Football League (DFL), i.e. those of the Bundesliga and the 2nd division.
Unlike them premier league in England and the League 1 in France, which revoked the rights of the Russian media partner shortly after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the DFL decided that “Match TV” could continue to broadcast.
Censorship on top game
The station belongs to “Gazprom MediaHolding“, whose director is Alexei Miller, a close confidante of Russian President Valdemir Putin.
In April 2022, “Match TV” canceled the game between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig because the Kremlin objected to messages of peace and criticism of Russia as an aggressor. In addition, the DFL logo, designed in the Ukrainian national colors, was often hidden or changed.
The DFL decided to keep the media partner anyway so that the people in Russia could see the messages directed against Putin’s regime. Therefore, the umbrella organization of “Match TV” demanded that the signal must be broadcast uncensored in the future. Whether this has happened since then, as requested, was part of a catalog of questions that the WDR magazine “Sport inside” sent to the DFL to find out the current status of the business relationship.
Eight clubs to end donation practice
The association did not answer. Sports inside However, the minutes of the DFL general meeting of March 3, 2023 are available, which contain some information. Accordingly, at the request of the Executive Committee, an “opinion” was obtained in order to know whether the income from Russia – as already decided in February 2022 – should continue to be donated to charitable organizations or paid out again to the clubs according to the applicable distribution key.
Eight clubs voted for the money to go back to the clubs’ accounts, according to the protocol being approved. It is not listed and it is not known which clubs these were. Two clubs abstained, 26 voted to continue donating. A vote against the donation practice would not have been binding for the DFL Executive Committee, which has to decide on the use of funds.
At least four million donated from contract with Russian broadcaster
The minutes provide detailed information on the donations made up to March. So it says: “In total, DFL eV has so far donated proceeds from the contract with Match-TV in the amount of EUR 3 million. With a view to the 3rd installment of EUR 1 million from the contract with Match-TV, the Executive Committee in The following use was decided on February 2023: EUR 500,000 will continue to be donated to the previous organizations DRK, Caritas, Aktion Deutschland Hilft and SOS-Kinderdörfer for the Ukraine aid EUR 50,000 will go to a joint UEFA fund via the DFB for the Turkey aid. The DFB will contribute the same amount. The remaining EUR 450,000 will also be donated to the above-mentioned organizations DRK, Caritas, Aktion Deutschland Hilft and SOS Children’s Villages for Turkey Aid.”
rare peace sign
How “Bundesliga International”, a subsidiary of the DFL, reports on the homepage, the rights to “Match TV” are still assigned until the end of the 2024/25 season, analogous to the national media rights. The tender for the award in the next rights period should start this year. Messages of peace, like the one drawn with chalk Peace-Signs in the center circle have become rare in the meantime.