The Infront Sports & Media agency has tabled an amended bid to acquire the domestic and international rights for Russian football’s top league, the Premier League. The league and its clubs in February rejected an earlier Infront bid for the rights.
The offer proposes that the revenues from the rights be split between Infront and the league in the first two years of a six-year deal, from 2012-13 to 2017-18, and the league has been invited to suggest the proportion of the revenue each party gets, according to the Sport-Express newspaper.
Infront has offered a guaranteed payment of $70 million (€53 million) per season in years three and four of the partnership, and then $80 million per season in the final two years. The league would also get two-thirds of revenues earned in excess of the guarantees in years three to six.
Infront’s earlier, rejected offer was reported by some Russian media sources as worth $60 million (€45 million) per season, and by others as including a guarantee of $60 million in the first four years, rising to $90 million-$100 million in the last two years.
Infront has asked that the league make commitments to improve football-related infrastructure in Russia and take greater steps to stamp out hooliganism. Widespread stadium upgrades are already planned in the country in the years leading up to 2018, when it will host the Fifa World Cup for the first time.
The league is due to respond to the offer by April 12.