Spain’s national criminal court Audiencia Nacional has dismissed Real Madrid’s appeal against La Liga and its president, Javier Tebas.
The decision comes after the team filed a complaint in relation to the league’s newly introduced media rights fee distribution rules and planned audiovisual strategies for football matches as part of its 2023/24 season partnership with game developer EA Sports.
According to the partnership, some of the changes include giving fans unprecedented access to the pitch by increasing the media’s presence through the use of microphones during hydration breaks, among others.
In September, Real Madrid filed a complaint against La Liga, arguing that the changes would put the club at a disadvantage. This was later dismissed by investigating judge José Luis Calama.
The club then filed an appeal against the dismissal resolution, which again was unsuccessful after the court ruled against it this week.
The decision states that LaLiga’s approach has been agreed upon by all sports corporations and clubs participating in the first division through the Control Body of the Management of Audiovisual Rights and the First Division Board of the League.
“The order analyses and discards the crimes included in the constitutive complaint, according to the sports entity, of unfair administration, misappropriation, corruption in business and imposition of abusive agreements.
“The court agrees with the assessment of the investigating court and the Prosecutor’s Office, which opposes the appeal, about the criminal atypicality of the facts and conduct described by the complainant,” the ruling concluded.
