Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], June 22 : Keralam Sports Minister O. J. Janeesh on Monday announced that the public will now be able to watch FIFA World Cup football matches free of cost through non-commercial public screenings.
Concerns had arisen after the broadcast rights for the FIFA World Cup in India were awarded to Zee Entertainment, and its streaming platform, Zee5, entered into an agreement with Kerala-based private football club Eagles FC Kerala for public streaming rights in the state. This led to apprehensions that licences would be required for all public screenings in Kerala.
Following urgent intervention by the state government, discussions were held with Eagles FC Kerala, resulting in a decision to provide free screening permission to those organising football screenings on a non-profit basis. The exemption will apply to screenings conducted without charging an entry fee by football fans' groups, clubs and residents' associations.
However, the exemption will not apply to commercial establishments and shopping malls conducting public screenings for financial gain.
Under the earlier arrangement, organisers were required to pay FIFA licence fees ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh. The government said it viewed commercial screenings by businesses and malls differently from free screenings organised by football enthusiasts, clubs and residents' associations. The state's position is that football lovers should be able to enjoy the matches in the manner they prefer without financial burden.
As soon as the issue came to its attention, the Sports Department intervened and urged stakeholders to facilitate free football streaming for fans. Continuous discussions were held with FIFA representatives, Zee officials and the owners of Eagles FC Kerala, culminating in a final decision on Friday.
Those conducting or planning public screenings can register free of charge at EaglesFCKerala.com and obtain permission to screen the matches. The licence will be approved automatically.
The minister thanked the management of Eagles FC Kerala, Zee Channel officials and FIFA representatives for standing with football fans in Kerala. Sports Department Special Secretary N Prashanth and Eagles FC Kerala Chairman Shafi Methar were also present at the press conference.