Real Madrid have been fined 3.9 million euros by the Spanish competition commission over a violation of television rights sales.
Los Blancos were one of four La Liga clubs to be handed fines by the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) along with TV production giant Mediapro. The action comes following a four-year agreement by the clubs and Mediapro to broadcast domestic league and cup matches.
Under rules set out by the competition commission in 2010, the longest a TV deal can be is three-years. The CNMC said the sums each club had to pay depended on contracts agreed between them and the production company.
La Liga champions Barcelona were ordered to pay 3.6 million euros, while Sevilla were handed a 900,000-euro fine. Racing Santander, the fourth club in breach of the rights sales, were handed a 300,000-euro fine by the CNMC. Meanwhile, Mediapro were ordered to a sum of 6.5 million euros.
Unlike in many other European countries, there is no collective television rights deals for clubs in Spain. Individual clubs negotiate their own deals with broadcasters, a situation that has allowed Los Blancos and Barcelona to earn much more than their La Liga rivals. A report by accountancy firm Deloitte last year revealed Real Madrid became the first sports club in the world to earn more than 500 million euros in 2011-2012.
