Zee Sports demands Rs 70 crore as compensation from AIFF

New Delhi: Broadcaster Zee Sports has asked for Rs 70 crore as compensation from the All India Football Federation after the AIFF decided to terminate its 10-year telecast and marketing rights deal with the channel.

Reliance-IMG is set to come on board as AIFF’s new broadcast partner though top officials in the federation were tight-lipped about it. “Yes, it (Zee) has asked for Rs 70 crore as compensation from the AIFF but, as far as the deal with IMG is concerned, it is still in the negotiation stage and nothing has been finalised yet,” a top AIFF official told reporters on condition of anonymity. “The AIFF is reviewing IMG’s proposal but nothing is official as yet,” he added. Sources in the federation also claimed that IMG is offering AIFF Rs 200 crore and part of that money will be used in giving compensation to Zee Sports. The AIFF’s executive committee has already formed a three-member sub-committee to negotiate with Zee Sports and look into IMG-Reliance’s proposal for broadcast rights. AIFF, whose deal with Zee Sports was to run till 2014, was apparently not happy with the channel’s coverage of matches. Delayed payments from Zee Sports also did not help matters and the AIFF had raised the issue with the channel last year. AIFF president Praful Patel was also said to have lashed out at the channel for failing to get a sponsor for the Santosh Trophy. Even though the deal is till 2014, there is a clause in the contract to review it after five years and the AIFF has used that provision to call off its association with the channel. PTI