Threat to Terrestrial Tv Coverage of England Qualifiers

It is highly unlikely that either of Fabio Capello's first two World Cup qualifying matches will be shown on free-to-air television, after Setanta accused broadcasting rivals of "emotional blackmail" in a row over the rights to highlights of the games. In what is believed to be a first for such important ties, neither the away game in Barcelona against Andorra on Saturday nor next Wednesday's crucial game against Croatia in Zagreb will be shown on terrestrial television at all.

Setanta has exclusive rights to the matches after securing them from the relevant governing bodies, but traditionally pay-TV operators holding the live rights have negotiated a deal with either the BBC or ITV to show highlights.

ITV and BBC insiders have accused Setanta of failing to offer the highlights at a realistic price in the hope of forcing viewers to subscribe to its pay-TV service. But yesterday Setanta's director of sport, Trevor East, said only one bid had been lodged from either broadcaster and they were attempting to whip up public outrage to secure the rights at a discount.

"It's emotional blackmail. One of them hasn't even made an offer. They are using their position to leverage valuable rights out of us for a fraction of their value. The only offer we have received is substantially lower than either of them have paid for a Champions League qualifier," he said.

It is understood that the BBC, believed to have paid a six-figure sum to show live coverage of the second leg of Arsenal's Champions League qualifier against FC Twente, has made an offer for the highlights but that ITV has not, believing Setanta's valuation to be unrealistic.

The FA has no jurisdiction over away games but officials are understood to be concerned that there will be no free-to-air outlet. Setanta and ITV are partners in the £425m four-year deal for England home games and the FA Cup negotiated by the outgoing FA chief executive, Brian Barwick.

Previously, when a deciding match has only been available on pay-TV, Sky has allowed a terrestrial broadcaster to show highlights or full coverage later in the day. This happened in 1997 under Glenn Hoddle when England needed to win or draw against Italy in Rome to progress, and in 2000 when they met Scotland in a European Championship play-off.

But Setanta executives argue that the principle applies only to deciding games, not to all matches in a campaign. The Irish pay-TV broadcaster has invested heavily in marketing its coverage of the national team and hopes its exclusive coverage of England's away qualifiers and home friendlies, together with FA Cup and Premier League action, will help it boost subscriber levels. It has promised to hit its break-even target of 1.5m direct subscribers, and 4m overall including those covered by its deals with Virgin Media and BT Vision, by next April.