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President decries Russian league's cable TV contract

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday criticized a deal to air soccer matches on cable television, sparking soccer officials to allay fears of millions of fans -- including Putin -- that soccer will become an expensive luxury.

Speaking in Moscow during a meeting devoted to social projects, Putin took aim against a US$25 million deal the Russian Soccer Premier League had signed the day before that gives cable station NTV Plus exclusive rights to show all of the league's matches.

"NTV Plus, the soccer union and its chairman Vitaly Mutko once again clouded something up, and they want to take from us, from everyday fans, the chance to watch matches for free," Putin said in remarks run by Interfax.

Putin charged First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who oversees the so-called "national projects" and is considered a possible candidate for 2008's presidential elections, with following the situation.

"The president's order will be fulfilled," Medvedev told reporters after the meeting.

But Russian soccer officials and representatives at NTV Plus, while expressing agreement with Putin, defended their decision.

"The fans' interests were accounted for in the contract that was signed," Mutko said in remarks quoted by Interfax.

The soccer union head noted Russian broadcast network Channel One would retain its right to show matches and that local channels would also be allowed to show their home team's games.

"I don't reject the possibility that it didn't reach the president's knowledge that, for example, all 30 matches of St Petersburg's Zenit will be shown on [local station] Channel Five," Mutko added.

NTV Plus spokeswoman Anastasiya Kazakova said the deal represented the spending of "an unprecedented sum for the development of Russian soccer."

Only four of the Premier League's 16 clubs are said to be in healthy financial condition. TV rights for Russian soccer have traditionally avoided the big-time spending that is seen in Western countries, and the deal sent up waves of concern across Russia.

Putin regretted that fans would have to buy "special equipment" and pay a monthly fee to watch games in a country where few subscribe to cable television.

Mutko, however, added that a special channel, Our soccer, would be created by NTV Plus for the matches and that the monthly fee would be 99 rubles (US$3.80).
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