Thursday, January 03, 2008
TV presenter demands payment for glowing coverage
Horia Ivanovici, a Romanian TV presenter and editor of Fanatik, a football weekly, stands accused of demanding money from players and managers in return for glowing coverage - and the man who has taken him to court is none other than Victor Piturca, the coach of Romania’s national team.
Piturca claims that Ivanovici asked for tens of thousands of euros to give him an easy ride after his appointment to the Romania job.
He allegedly invited him to be a regular guest on his television programme and promised positive coverage of his coaching tenure.
When Piturca refused, it is alleged that Ivanovici threatened to lambast him on a weekly basis in his magazine and on television.
Piturca has called dozens of players and managers as witnesses, most of whom have testified that Ivanovici asked them for money.
Cristian Chivu, the Inter Milan defender, claimed that since turning down Ivanovici’s request for a €1000 (about £740) “contribution” when he was at Ajax five years ago, he has been criticised in print and over the air waves.
The trial is pending, but it highlights how incestuous the relationship between the media and the people they cover can be.
And while Romania may be an extreme case, the situation is not dissimilar from other European nations, including England - the difference is the currency: instead of euros, some players and managers offer access, which is often just as precious.
Piturca claims that Ivanovici asked for tens of thousands of euros to give him an easy ride after his appointment to the Romania job.
He allegedly invited him to be a regular guest on his television programme and promised positive coverage of his coaching tenure.
When Piturca refused, it is alleged that Ivanovici threatened to lambast him on a weekly basis in his magazine and on television.
Piturca has called dozens of players and managers as witnesses, most of whom have testified that Ivanovici asked them for money.
Cristian Chivu, the Inter Milan defender, claimed that since turning down Ivanovici’s request for a €1000 (about £740) “contribution” when he was at Ajax five years ago, he has been criticised in print and over the air waves.
The trial is pending, but it highlights how incestuous the relationship between the media and the people they cover can be.
And while Romania may be an extreme case, the situation is not dissimilar from other European nations, including England - the difference is the currency: instead of euros, some players and managers offer access, which is often just as precious.
