MADRID, 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Competition Chamber of the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) agreed this Wednesday that it is not appropriate to initiate any sanctioning procedure against the National Indoor Soccer League (LNFS) as it understands that there is “no prohibited conduct” in the exploitation of audiovisual rights, when they transferred the competition to LaLiga in 2018, following the complaint filed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), according to a statement.
In its resolution this Wednesday, the body determined that the statutes of the LNFS which included the transfer by the clubs of the exploitation of audiovisual rights “were approved unanimously and there was no complaint from any member.”
Likewise, it established that the previous contracts for the transfer of rights “did not report income” until the one signed with LaLiga in 2018, which were distributed among its associates, “and that the consulted clubs did not oppose the contract” with the Spanish football employers’ association. .
Thus, the CNMC agrees with the LNFS by dismissing the RFEF’s complaint of November 11, 2020, insisting that “there was no conduct prohibited by articles 1, 2 and 3 of Defense Law 15/2007 of the Competition in that contract for the transfer of audiovisual rights that the LNFS and LaLiga signed on September 5, 2018”.
It was five years ago when the LNFS, “with the approval and consent of all the clubs”, transferred to LaLiga the ownership of all audiovisual exploitation rights of the entire First Division, the Spanish Cup and the Super Cup, to starting from the 2018-19 academic year and until 2022-23, both included. The LNFS highlighted that, “before the RFEF denounced it on November 11, 2020, it had been the subject of legitimate exploitation by LaLiga without any type of objection or impediment.”
According to the statement issued by the LNFS, the CNMC also confirmed that “there is not strictly a market for futsal audiovisual rights”, because its rights are marketed in “the field of sports audiovisual rights”, so the Association “does not held a dominant position.”
Furthermore, it resolved that the LNFS, “it being debatable” whether or not it held a dominant position in the organization of official competitions, “did not take advantage of it.” “Therefore, there is no infraction, thus ruling out the carrying out of alleged restrictive practices of the LNFS as claimed by the complainant, the RFEF,” the statement reported.
Finally, the Association announced that it will now demand “the appropriate compensation for the damages caused” both to the RFEF and to the six teams that contributed their audiovisual rights to the Federation -Inter, Jaén, Burela, Peñíscola, Xota and Ribera-.