Spain court freezes Qatar broadcaster BeIN’s assets over unpaid TV football payment

Madrid court froze more than €50 million ($48.7 million) of a Qatari broadcaster’s assets after Spanish top-flight football competition LaLiga requested the step in a spat over unpaid TV rights.

The amount covers what BeIN owes after it failed to settle a bill for rights for broadcasting matches from the Spanish league this season, according to a copy of the ruling provided by LaLiga.

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The legal tussle is playing out against the background of an ongoing clash between LaLiga head Javier Tebas and BeIN chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi, who’s also president of French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Tebas has repeatedly taken issue with PSG’s business model, saying it’s based on unconstrained spending in contrast with the tight financial fair play rules that Spanish clubs have to comply with.

According to the ruling, the court opted to freeze the BeIN assets because of the risk the funds could become impossible to recover.

“With this preventative measure, LaLiga aims to demand and guarantee compliance with its audiovisual contracts,” it said in an emailed statement.

A representative for BeIN didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg. A spokesperson for the court also wasn’t immediately available.

Doha-based BeIN owns rights to broadcast LaLiga’s matches in more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle-East.

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