Real Madrid, Barcelona Rights Fines Annulled By Spanish Court

A Spanish court has overturned a decision to impose fines on media group Mediapro and four leading clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona for breaching rules on the sale of television rights, the firm said Thursday.

Spanish competition regulator CNMC in December 2013 imposed fines totalling nearly 15 million euros ($17 million) on Mediapro and the clubs for what they described in a statement as "a very serious infraction" of the rules on the acquisition of football-related rights.

Mediapro, which operated a pay-TV channel dedicated to football called Gol Television, were fined 6.5 million euros, Real Madrid were ordered to pay 3.9 million euros and Barcelona 3.6 million euros.

Sevilla were fined 900,000 euros and Racing Santander 30,000 euros.

But Spain's top criminal court, the National Audience, "annulled the case" as well as the fines imposed on Mediapro and the clubs, Mediapro said in a statement.

The competition regulator had ruled that the four-year contracts which the clubs signed with Mediapro to broadcast their domestic league and cup matches was in violation of a three-year limit for such deals.

Mediapro and the clubs argued the contracts were signed before the limit of three years was adopted by the competition regulator in April 2010 and did not apply.