The director of the Argentinian government’s Football for All (FPT) initiative, which ensures free-to-air coverage of domestic football competitions, has stepped down amid the impending scrapping of the scheme.
Horacio Gennari has led FPT since it was established by former President Cristina Kirchner’s government in 2009. He has now said he will leave the position, while pointing to the need to introduce a pay-television model for the Primera Division over a state-financed scheme.
“I always maintained that Argentine football cannot be financed by the state, which has priorities in education, safety, health and many other outstanding matters,” Gennari said in a statement on social media platform Facebook. “I have always defended the pay-television model. There is no other way to cover such a large amount of content than by using different platforms.”
In July, Primera Division clubs requested that FPT is disbanded at the end of the year. The letter reportedly signed by 26 of the 30 Primera Division clubs was sent to the government.
The clubs claimed that the end of FPT will release a major economic burden on the state, while also allowing them to pursue a more lucrative agreement. They are seeking that an international tender be launched for new rights partners.