Mutko sets out limit for Russian World Cup rights deal

Russian broadcasters are willing to pay 20 per cent more for the 2018 Fifa World Cup than they did for 2014, according to Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, as a contract still remains to be agreed in the host nation for the national team football tournament.

The Telesport agency is understood to have been negotiating with world football’s governing body since October for the rights on behalf of a consortium of state broadcaster VGTRK; state-controlled commercial broadcaster Channel One; and privately-held broadcaster Match TV.

Fifa is said to be seeking $120m (€111.6m) for the rights, with Russian broadcasters having paid around $32m for rights to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Mutko (pictured), who is also president of the Russian Football Union and chairman of the local organising committee for the 2018 World Cup, told state news agency Tass: “Our channels are willing to pay an amount up to 15-20 per cent higher than for the rights to the World Cup in Brazil, there are no questions.

“But when the price for the rights rises above, the channels will not be able to recoup their acquisition.”

Earlier this month, Mutko added to the criticism of Fifa regarding the sale of domestic broadcast rights to the 2018 World Cup and 2017 Confederations Cup, stating world football’s governing body is imposing “special conditions” on the host nation for the events.

Mutko said that as state-controlled broadcasters bidding for the tournament would make a loss on the deal, Fifa is pushing the Russian government to contribute.

The 2017 Confederations Cup is due to kick off in Saint Petersburg on June 17 and will run through to July 2.