Paris: The world's media are threatening to take legal action against FIFA unless football's governing body lifts the restrictions its imposed on coverage at this year's World Cup.
The move comes after talks between the two sides aimed at resolving the dispute over World Cup image rights broke down last month when FIFA unilaterally withdrew from the discussions.
Unless the row is resolved in time for kick-off in Germany on June 9 FIFA will be imposing a blanket ban on the use of World Cup photos on the Internet during matches.
It will also be severely limiting the number of photos that can be used regardless of time limits and imposing editorial restrictions on the way photos are used in print publications.
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN), representing 18,000 newspapers and 11 news agencies, wrote to FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Thursday to urge him to improve access, or risk legal action
The Paris-based media group claims FIFA's current position will hit football fans hard by making it impossible for them to receive comprehensive and up to date coverage of the competition.
"Your restrictions on our journalistic coverage of the 2006 World Cup not only deprive our readers and clients of access to important information on a public event, but constitute both an interference in editorial freedom and independence," the letter stated.
It added: "We are truly saddened and shocked that in the name of maximising the commercial exploitation of these events FIFA should effectively turn its back on the news media which give life on a daily basis, to football in all its different manifestations all over the world."
The letter, jointly signed by WAN chief executive Timothy Balding and Pierre Louette, president and chief executive of Agence France Presse (representing also AP, Reuters, Getty Images, DPA and EPA) told Blatter they would be raising the issue with the German government, World Cup sponsors, and European institutions.
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