“I don’t see fairness in this process on either side”
Almuth Schult raises a piquant question in rights poker
Quelle: UEFA via Getty Images/Lukas Schulze – UEFA
The Women’s World Cup is getting closer, the TV negotiations are not progressing. National goalkeeper Almuth Schult is annoyed. She outlines how the players suffer from this completely muddled situation – and names the culprits.
FSoccer national goalkeeper and ARD expert Almuth Schult (32) sees the TV dispute over the broadcasting rights for the World Cup in the summer as a procedure. “It annoys me that both parties – it seems – don’t talk to each other. The problem with this is that the discussion is not progressing,” said the former Wolfsburg resident.
At this point, it’s still unclear who will be televising the tournament from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand. According to a report by “Kicker”, the public TV stations offered five million euros for the broadcasting rights to the finals with 32 teams for the first time. The world association Fifa demands twice as much. According to information from the German Press Agency, the sums are slightly higher.
“According to my information, Fifa has not shown itself to be really cooperative in talks. They wanted more money than was offered by the public broadcasters,” said the currently pregnant Schult, Olympic champion from 2016. “One would like to find someone to blame, but naming who is not that easy. I understand both sides.” Fifa President Gianni Infantino has been criticized, also because the allocation process for the TV rights only started in January.
FIFA President paints a different picture
“It is the players in particular who are suffering from the sluggish negotiations. In this process, I don’t see what sport is committed to, treating each other with respect and fairness,” added the 32-year-old. One could also raise allegations against Magenta as the rights holder of the Bundesliga or DAZN, “who are committed to promoting women’s sports”, said Schult – “and ask yourself why no offer was made or why there is no interest”.
Fifa President Infantino, on the other hand, maintains that from his point of view there is progress. “There have been some discussions that started on a slightly different level,” said the Swiss on Thursday at an event in Los Angeles: “So things are moving.”
Infantino stressed that he was still determined to get more money from the broadcasters in the largest European countries. The 53-year-old also claims that this would benefit all women’s sport. “We just want football to be respected and for the right money to be paid for it,” said the boss of the world association: “Because whatever is paid flows not just 100 percent, but 150 percent into the development of women’s football .”
WDR director Tom Buhrow, whose broadcaster in the ARD is responsible for sports rights, recently defended the line of the public broadcaster. “Mr Infantino is trumpeting in public and trying to put moral pressure on us. Not like that. You can sit down at a table and discuss the matter, not in public,” said Buhrow.
