The Spanish league has triggered protests by interfering with media freedom. Journalists’ associations and the OSCE have criticized the regulation.
When awarding the TV rights for the current season, the principle applied that the future rights holder had to report “positively” about the league. In the event of violation, the League may request the dismissal of the offending reporter or commentator.
“The new clauses unreasonably restrict media freedom and the right to information”said Teresa Ribeiro, representative for media freedom at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). “Unfortunately, that’s becoming increasingly common in the world of football”, she said. She stressed that the state has a duty to protect media freedom. Protection of democratic rights and conflict prevention are among the core tasks of the OSCE. Spain is a member of the organization.
League boss: After the final whistle, only questions about the game
Criticism from the Spanish journalists’ associations was rejected by LaLiga boss Javier Tebas. According to Tebas, only questions about the game should be asked immediately after the final whistle, other topics should be addressed in press conferences. According to the AFP news agency, the Spanish league said that the determination should keep tabloid topics or headlines about the players’ families out of the reporting.