The top Spanish division LaLiga has triggered a storm of protest with an interference with media freedom.
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.
Journalists’ associations criticize the regulation. Teresa Ribeiro, OSCE representative for media freedom, sees this and the public’s right to information being attacked. “Unfortunately, that’s becoming increasingly common in the football world,” she said.
According to the “AFP” news agency, the Spanish league says that the purpose of the determination is to keep tabloid topics or headlines about the players’ families out of the reporting.
