The opening weekend of La Liga, scheduled for18 August, is in jeopardy after clubs failed to reach an agreement over televisión rights.
On Friday, the television company Mediapro and its president Jaume Roures offered to auction the television rights of nine clubs, who did not agree to the deal, as they already have contracts with Canal Plus.
With just twenty days to go before the start of the season, it is not known which games will be broadcast, nor how the money will be distributed. It is even possible that there will be no televised games during the first few weeks of the season.
On 14 April 2010, the National Competition Commission declared that contracts for television rights of La Liga and the Copa del Rey "are not prohibited under competition laws when they exceed three years", effectively making the majority of existing contracts with Mediapro null.
In the last two months a number of clubs have decided to normalise the situation of their contracts and ensure the sustainability of their television incomes. Nine clubs signed with Canal Plus for the seasons 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 (Atlético, Celta, Espanyol, Getafe, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, Zaragoza, Athletic and Betis).
However, Mediapro yesterday offered to auction the rights to broadcast games to television operators, declaring the company was "the owner of practically all television rights of the teams in Primera and Segunda for seasons 2012/13 and 2013/14", a proposition at odds with the ruling of the CNC and the contracts of clubs whose rights belong to Canal Plus.
Canal Plus, meanwhile, denounced Mediapro's actions, saying they were offering to sell rights they did not own, and announced that they would take legal action against the company.
The LFP declined to comment on the conflict but insisted that the league would start on 18 August.
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