Also in the game between Arminia Bielefeld and FC Bayern, a clear position is taken against the Russian war of aggression in the Ukraine. The transmitting station in Russia reacts – in the middle of the game.
International football has been sending clear signals against the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine for weeks. In the Bundesliga, too, a clear position is repeatedly taken with actions, gestures and symbols. Also in the game between Arminia Bielefeld and the FC Bayern on Sunday afternoon there was a clear message: “Stop war, Putin” was written on an advertising board in the Schüco Arena.
Apparently that was too much for the Russian broadcaster “Match TV”, which is the licensee of the Bundesliga games and broadcasts the games in the country. The channel stopped the live broadcast after almost 30 minutes when Bayern were 1-0 – in the middle of the game, in the middle of an attack by Munich. The commentator explained shortly before that the transmission would not be continued because the station adhered to the principle that “sport and politics must be separated”. After that, the live feed ended. The Ukrainian “sport.ua” first reported on it.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression and the ongoing anti-war messages in German football, several broadcasts by “Match TV” have been terminated prematurely. This happened recently at the beginning of April in the top game between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzigwhere pro-Ukrainian and anti-Russian aggression messages were also clearly visible.
Unlike the English Premier League or the French Ligue 1, the German Bundesliga is still broadcast in Russia – the German Football League decided at the beginning of March to continue the existing contract with Match TV and not to terminate it extraordinarily.
Goal: Appeals for peace and anti-war calls from the German stadiums should also reach the Russian population. The DFL wants to donate the income from the TV contract for humanitarian aid in Ukraine. However, a termination of the contract in the event of further transmission aborts was not ruled out.
