By IANS,
Mumbai : The International Cricket Council (ICC) Saturday banned two Indian television channels, Zee TV and UNI TV, from covering the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium.
ICC media director Colin Gibson said both channels had breached media guidelines.
“The two breached the media code of conduct by filming inside the stadium. UNI team breached the guidelines in Colombo during the semi-final between Sri Lanka and New Zealand while Zee TV was found filming the Indian team’s dressing room in Mohali during the semi-final against Pakistan,” Gibson told IANS.
The ICC has been at constant loggerheads with the non-rights holders (NRH) for breaching accreditation guidelines but allowed them to cover Saturday’s India-Sri Lanka World Cup final.
ICC had accused the news channels of repeatedly breaching the News Access Guidelines.
Despite lengthy meetings with the information and broadcasting ministry in New Delhi, the National Broadcasters Association (NBA) and the Broadcast Editors Association (BEA) Friday, the NRH and ICC couldn’t come out with a solution.
Subsequently, the ICC decided to allow NRH to cover the final but commenced legal action against the companies involved and will also seek to recover damages through Indian courts.
“I am very disappointed that it has come to this. However, we need to do everything to protect our exclusive commercial rights and those of our partners. If that means we have to resort to legal action, it is regrettable but necessary,” said ICC Haroon Lorgat in a statement.
The ICC had withdrawn the accreditation of the electronic media for the India-Pakistan semifinal’s pre-match press conferences. It was only after a 24-hour truce that they could cover the match Wednesday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ordered all electronic media personnel to vacate the Wankhede Stadium premises Friday afternoon, barely 24 hours before the much-anticipated India-Sri Lanka World Cup final.