Manchester United are embroiled in an unseemly row over the Munich memorial service after trying to charge £5,000 for television footage of the event.
BBC top brass in London were furious after being told they would have to pay for pictures from a service commemorating the plane crash 50 years ago, which killed eight of the Busby Babes and three club officials.
Only MUTV, the club's own TV station, will be allowed to have cameras at the event, being held on Wednesday in an Old Trafford suite.
United were told in fierce correspondence that such a fee 'ran against every convention' governing TV news access for high-profile events as well as giving the 'scandalous' impression that the club were looking to benefit from Munich 50 years on.
Feelings in Manchester are running high about any commercial aspect to the anniversary. A giant Munich mural at Old Trafford was paint bombed because it contained the logo of United kit sponsors AIG.
Old Trafford officials told the BBC they were only demanding a fee in retaliation for the corporation's behaviour in January 2006, when they sent MUTV a bill for £4,765, plus VAT, for their share of the TV rights to George Best's funeral. The fee was later reduced to £3,500.
The row degenerated with the BBC claiming they had given United's cheque to charity and Old Trafford demanding to see evidence of the donation. Such tit-for-tat wrangling reflects badly on both organisations, suggesting they were attempting to profit from two sensitive and emotional occasions.
It was only on Monday — after Sports Agenda had contacted United over the matter — that they embarked on a U-turn and damage limitation exercise. United chief executive and MUTV chairman David Gill informed the Beeb the TV rights fee was now being waived.
Gill's email read: 'Notwithstanding the fact that the BBC charged MUTV for pictures of the George Best funeral, the board of MUTV have decided to provide live pictures of the 50th anniversary memorial service free of charge.'
A BBC spokesman said: 'We can confirm we are taking footage of the memorial service from MUTV and we are pleased to be able to bring coverage of this event to BBC viewers.'
Simply a disgrace.
Didier Drogba
