Premier League clubs have agreed to halt broadcasts of top flight matches in Russia with immediate effect, following the invasion of Ukraine.
The decision was made at a meeting of all 20 clubs on Tuesday morning and comes after pressure, including from the foreign secretary Liz Truss, to axe the coverage.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said last week that the top flight’s deal to supply TV feeds to Russian, was under review. There is three months remaining on a contract with Rambler Media, in a deal which is thought to be worth £6M a year.
Rambler Media is owned by Sberbank, one of the largest banks in Russia, in which the government has a controlling share. Sberbank has been named on the list of Russian businesses sanctioned by the UK.
‘The Premier League and its clubs today unanimously agreed to suspend our agreement with Russian broadcast partner Rambler (Okko Sport) with immediate effect,’ the top flight said in a statement.
‘The League strongly condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We call for peace and our thoughts are with all those impacted.’
The top flight also announced it would make a £1M donation to support the people of Ukraine. It will be made to the Disasters’ Emergency Committee (DEC) to deliver humanitarian aid directly to those in need.
City and United players all sported t-shirts expressing support for Ukraine ahead of kick-off
Supporters at some games also held up blue and yellow cards to form a giant Ukrainian flag
The English top flight put on a powerful demonstration at matches last weekend.
All club captains wore special armbands and fans joined players, managers, match officials and club staff in a moment of reflection and solidarity before kick-off at each game.
Big screens displayed ‘Football Stands Together’ against the backdrop of the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag. These words were also shown on LED perimeter boards during matches.
‘This message of solidarity was visible to fans around the world across Premier League digital channels and via match broadcasts,’ said the Premier League statement.
Displays of support for Ukraine took place at several grounds to condemn the bloodshed
‘This is in addition to the numerous ways in which clubs continue to display their support.’
However, there was some criticism over the Premier League’s decision to allow matches to be screened in Russia last weekend.
Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit on Thursday, Masters said he ‘would like the Russian people to see the strength of feeling in the Premier League and English football’ during the round of fixtures at the weekend, when the game united in support of Ukraine.
That was partially achieved when the ‘Football Stands Together’ graphic was displayed during the Manchester derby on Sunday, instead of the match clock. Viewers would also have seen Ukraine flags around the stadium.
However, the Russian broadcaster, Okko Sport, which screens the matches, declined to show the minute’s applause prior to kick off.
On Monday, Ms Truss ramped up the pressure on the Premier League to cease broadcasts in Russia, where the streaming service Netflix has already shut down its services.
Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, said the TV deals were ‘under review’
Residents cross the destroyed bridge as they flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region
A woman is assisted by a member of the Ukrainian military as she flees heavy fighting in Irpin
Labour MP Chris Bryant raised the issue with Ms Truss at the foreign affairs select committee on Monday.
‘That’s something I am prepared to talk to the DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] about,’ said Ms Truss. ‘I do think it’s important to isolate Russia.’
David Bernstein, the former chairman of the FA and Manchester City, has also said that the Premier League should act now.
The Telegraph reported yesterday that the Premier League lawyers had given the organisation the green light to terminate the contract. The newspaper said the EFL and FA are expected to follow suit.
Okko Sport, which is also owned by Sberbank, received complaints from viewers on social media for the anti-war messaging that appeared during Manchester City’s 4-1 demolition of Manchester United.
The company responded by saying that they received their picture directly from a supplier and could not resolve the situation.
Asked about the messaging during the derby, an Okko Sport spokesperson said: ‘Since the signal is transmitted by the copyright holder, the display of this phrase was done by the broadcast signal copyright holder.’
The Premier League must also decide its approach on next season’s Russian deal with Match TV, which is owned by Gazprom, according to The Times.
The top flight securing a deal last year from 2022 to 2028 for about £42 million over six years. Gazprom is majority owned by the Russian state.
Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine, which has now entered its 13th day, is increasingly bloody as Russian forces step up their efforts to seize cities and surround the capital, Kiev.
The Ukraine government claimed today that 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armoured vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine’s losses are unknown.
Strikes on civilian areas also continued overnight, with the city of Sumy – in the east – struck by bombs which the local mayor said killed 21 people including two children and left others wounded.
Russia said it will again open up ‘humanitarian corridors’ today to allow civilians to flee bombarded cities – but the offer has already been dismissed by Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of ‘cynicism’, saying its troops have laid mines across the routes and blown up buses intended to be used as transports.
The office of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr would not comment on the latest Russian proposal, saying only that Moscow’s plans can be believed only if a safe evacuation begins.
Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces. The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine’s most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.
In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people – nearly half the population of 430,000 – were hoping to flee, and Red Cross officials waited to hear when a corridor would be established.
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