Friday, August 21, 2009

A Week of FC Barcelona Football Not Seen On TV.

Three games for FC Barcelona this week with a trophy on the line should be great news for the fans, right? Sadly for us in the US, we will not be able to watch FC Barcelona try to lift their first trophy of the season this Sunday. The first leg of the Spanish Super Cup was this past Sunday in which our boys came from behind to grab an important away win. This Wednesday saw the debut of Ibrahimovic with Barcelona in the Camp Nou against Manchester City for the Joan Gamper Trophy. This weekend will have Barcelona hosting Athletic for the second leg of the Super Copa. Unfortunately, none of the games will be seen on TV for the fans here.

The Spanish League has always been one of the greatest leagues in the world but the way the
league markets itself, you wouldn’t know it. There were problems in airing Barcelona games two
years ago because of a TV row between Audiovisual Sport and Mediapro. Last second also had its
share of disappointments with the Copa Del Rey Final not being aired on GOL TV for some unknown reason. But now this week’s lack of coverage for the Super Copa and Gamper Trofeo is
mind boggling.

Just last year, Fox Soccer Channel aired the Super Copa between Real Madrid and Valencia while
ESPN Deportes aired the Gamper Trofeo. So what gives, why did those channels not air these
games this year. Even Fox Soccer Channel’s Friday of Barça TV seems to have been canceled.
Does La Liga not care that the Super Copa is not being viewed with the same media coverage as
the English Charity Shield?

The Spanish League has most of the biggest stars of the world this year, so would it hurt the league
to actually get on the ball and get the TV rights, here and the UK now that Sky’s deal expired, sorted
and not just treat the coverage as if only the locals care for it. Instead, we have to rely on internet
streams of the Spanish or Chinese channels to see these games and alienate fans who want to
follow the league but cannot.

Here’s hoping that this season won’t have the fans missing out on the club in another Copa Del Rey
Final. We already know the English League overkill channel Fox Soccer Channel will probably screw
us out of Barcelona when they play in the Champions League for Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and
Manchester United like what ESPN did most of the time this decade. Just wish someone from
Spanish Federation would get off their ass and promote the league the way it should be.