Belarusian soccer faces UEFA backlash over pirated broadcasts
Are they broadcasting a transmission without having the rights to it? Such things are happening in Belarus. The residents of this country can already look forward to events such as Euro 2024 and the Beach Soccer World Championships. Now, the Nations League has joined this lineup.
The Nations League and friendly matches involving the Belarusian soccer team will be shown without UEFA's consent.
There will be consequences
Earlier, UEFA announced that it would cease financial support for Belarusian soccer organizations if there were pirated broadcasts of the European Championship matches in Belarus.
Unlike Russia, Belarus does not have private TV broadcasters that could attempt to obtain the rights to air international soccer matches.
So far, UEFA has not reacted to Minsk's new decisions.
At the beginning of this year, it was widely reported that the state-owned company Belteleradiyokampania planned to steal the broadcasts of the European Championship matches.
The Council of Ministers of Belarus legalized piracy in January 2023. Everything produced by so-called "unfriendly countries" and affiliated organizations can be used without the creators' consent.
One such organization was FIFA, which means Belteleradiyokampania can broadcast the Beach Soccer World Championships without permission.
Sportspeople will pay for the government's decisions
Euro 2024 matches joined the Beach Soccer World Cup in February 2024, as UEFA also appeared on a special list. According to the Belarusian sports portal Trybuna, the Belarus 5 sports channel is already planning broadcasts of the Euro 2024 matches.
This may, however, lead to problems that will affect the players themselves. UEFA has already announced that it will impose sanctions on the Belarusian Football Federation and Belarusian clubs for pirated broadcasts.
Even though Belarus, unlike Russia, has not been excluded from international soccer matches, it can only host matches in its own country. The Belarusian team has never advanced to the European or World Championships. But even without reaching the group stage, Belarusian clubs earned 1.5-2 million euros (approx. $2.2-3 million CAD) annually from European cups. Thus, UEFA sanctions could be a significant financial blow to them.
