Italian League fined by antitrust authority

The Italian Soccer League, Lega Calcio, has been fined 102,000 euros by the country's anti-trust authority over its handling of Serie B (second division) broadcasting rights for the 2007-08 season.

"Lega Calcio obstructed the acquisition of rights for matches, limiting significantly the live transmission of games on TV to the detriment of broadcasters and consumers," the authority said on its website (www.agcm.it) today.

It added that the league had restricted competition by acting to prevent clubs selling broadcasting rights to media companies independently, even though it had problems offloading them collectively.

No one at Lega Calcio was immediately available to comment on the announcement.

The sale of TV rights in Italy is in a transitional period after a 2008 law established that they must be sold collectively from next season onwards.

Lega Calcio is comprised of Serie A and Serie B, but the top flight will split from the second tier next term.