Anyone in Russia who wanted to watch the Bundesliga game between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund in front of the TV on Saturday evening was unlucky. Because the transmission of the channel “MatchTV” was canceled before halftime. The reason: In the stadium, fans showed posters with pro-Ukrainian messages and banners against the Russian war of aggression. These could be seen during the broadcast. That was too much for the Russian TV station, which pulled the ripcord and stopped the transmission.
Commentator Igor Kytmanov told viewers that the broadcast had to be cut short for reasons “outside our control”. “In general, it means looking at football and politics separately. But this rule is not always followed in the Bundesliga,” said the commentator. In contrast to the Bundesliga, players from the French or English leagues can no longer be seen on Russian television.
The German Football League decided at the beginning of March to continue the TV contract with “MatchTV” and to donate the proceeds to the victims of the war in Ukraine. The aim was to reach the Russian population with anti-war calls and appeals for peace. However, the condition was that the base signal remains unchanged. This included Ukraine messages from players, coaches, fans and officials.
