Real Madrid are returning to the battlefield with La Liga. The two entities have butted heads on numerous occasions in recent years, most notably over the CVC deal, and have submitted another legal complaint.
This summer, as part of their new sponsorship deal with EA Sports, La Liga announced a number of new measures to increase media access to games. They also announced that they would be introducing rewards based on how much access teams give the media coverage.
Around €130m will be distributed between the 42 teams in the top two divisions, with the amounts differing based on a La Liga assessment of the coverage, and awarded on a points-based system.
Real Madrid have not taken kindly to this and have denied the cameras access to their dressing room. They feel their rights are being infringed upon, and their earning potential is being damaged.
The first La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu took place last Saturday, and Los Blancos did not allow the TV cameras into the match until minutes before kick off. The pre- and post-match were done outside, something that Diario AS claim was an irritant to the league sponsors.
Now Real Madrid have submitted a legal complaint on the above basis, and will seek to block the cameras from coming into both their dressing room and their stadium.
Once again, La Liga and the clubs are struggling to pull in the same direction. The league’s constant battles with each other and the bodies of authority (vice versa too), continues to hurt the league’s earning and growth potential.