The collapse of a broadcasting deal between Belgian football’s top flight and streaming platform DAZN could see the league go without video assistant refereeing (VAR) this weekend.
On Tuesday, DAZN announced that its deal with the Jupiler Pro League had come to an end after several months of negotiations, as the British platform failed to reach distribution agreements with Belgian telecom operators. The Belgian league’s broadcaster was required to sign deals with at least two operators in the country.
As there will be no television cameras at top-flight grounds this weekend, officials verify their on-field decisions will be unable to review the majority of match footage. Only offside decisions can be verified, using the permanent cameras that the league's stadiums are already equipped with.
The Belgian FA has looked into the issue and concluded that there was no alternative method of providing footage to VAR operators, according to Belga's report. In any case, the federation's rules state that the absence of VAR will not prevent this weekend's matches themselves from going ahead, given that the problem would be affecting all of the fixtures equally.
Speaking to RTBF, the Pro League's CEO Lorin Parys described the collapse of the deal as an "attack on football in Belgium and on its fans".
The former regional Flemish MP explained that the months-long talks with DAZN been on hold for two weeks, and that the league authorities had only found out about the collapse of the deal through the press.
"It is completely unreasonable to have a five-year contract worth around half a billion euros and to find out on a Tuesday that production will cease as of that Friday," he added.
League scrambles to find solution
Parys also indicated that the Pro League would take legal action and "fight" for the contract to be upheld. "We will ask DAZN to continue producing, broadcasting and paying the clubs," he insisted.
While the broadcast deal is no longer in force, the Belgian league still has a few options to avoid a TV blackout.
According to Le Soir, the league authorities may submit a court injunction to force DAZN to broadcast this weekend's action, pending a potential renegotiation. Another option would involve bypassing DAZN and negotiating directly with the telecommunications companies (Proximus and Telenet).
In any case, time is quickly running out for the league authorities to set up last-minute arrangements. The next matchday kicks off tomorrow evening with KV Mechelen taking on Standard de Liège, while three fixtures are scheduled for Saturday.
The celebration of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise supporters and players, Sunday 25 May 2025 in Brussels, after winning the 2024-2025 'Jupiler Pro League' first division of the Belgian championship. Sunday 25 May 2025 in Brussels. Credit: Belga / David Pintens
"We have reached a situation where DAZN has no choice but to terminate the contract according to Belgian law," Massimo d'Amario, the director of the company's Belgium division, explained in a statement published by RTBF. "No company can be forced to operate at a loss. It is simply not viable."
Alexis Hallemans, a lawyer specialising in broadcast rights, explained to Belga on Wednesday that the streaming platform's legal reasoning was "surprising, to say the least." Echoing the league's position, Hallemans describes the move as a "negotiating tactic to bring the parties back to the negotiating table and get a better deal."
"This could be followed by legal action to determine whether the termination is lawful or in breach of the contract. The potential damages pose a significant threat to DAZN."
Clubs consider going it alone
The prospect of a national league suddenly finding itself without a broadcaster is not unprecedented in European football, with France's top flight experiencing a similar situation a few seasons ago.
Midway through the 2020/21 campaign, Mediapro abandoned its exclusive deal before the end of the Ligue 1 campaign, which led to Canal+ eventually stepping in to broadcast the final matches of the season.
Belgian clubs have previously considered setting up a league-owned channel, a project which recently gained credence, following the contract issues with DAZN. South of the border, a channel run by Ligue 1 itself, established this summer, has passed one million subscribers and signed distribution deals with telecom operators.
However, with just over 24 hours to get matches back on TV (and VAR) screens, Belgian clubs will need to conjure up a more immediate, short-term fix. As things stand, Belgian football is heading for a blackout both on and off the pitch.
