IT IS highly unlikely that either of Fabio Capello's first World Cup qualifying matches in charge of England will be shown on free-to-air television, after Setanta accused broadcasting rivals of "emotional blackmail" in a row over the rights to highlights of the games.
In what is believed to be a first for such important ties, neither the away game in Barcelona against Andorra on Saturday nor next Wednesday's crucial game against Croatia in Zagreb will be shown on terrestrial television at all.
Setanta have exclusive rights to the matches after securing them from the relevant governing bodies, but traditionally pay-TV operators holding the live rights have negotiated a deal with either the BBC or ITV to show highlights.
ITV and BBC insiders have accused Setanta of failing to offer the highlights at a realistic price in the hope of forcing viewers to subscribe to its pay-TV service.
But yesterday Setanta's director of sport, Trevor East, said only one bid had been lodged from either broadcaster and they were attempting to whip up public outrage to secure the rights at a discount.
"It's emotional blackmail. One of them hasn't even made an offer," he said. "They are using their position to leverage valuable rights out of us for a fraction of their value. The only offer we have received is substantially lower than either of them have paid for a Champions League qualifier."
Guardian Service
