The European Commission has cleared broadcasting rules proposed by European soccer’s governing body Uefa. The proposals include a ban on football broadcasts for two and a half- hours, either on Saturday or Sunday, in order to protect stadium attendance and participation in amateur tournaments.

The Commission said that the broadcasting ban had, perhaps not surprisingly, “met with strong opposition amongst commercial broadcasting companies, which complained they were being unduly restricted in their freedom to show matches they had paid for”.

It conceded that the cost of broadcasting sports rights has increased dramatically in the last years, most especially football rights, but said that it was paramount that the clubs were able to protect stadium attendance and therefore income.

“The new broadcasting regulations represent a significant improvement compared to [the rules] originally presented to the commission in terms of scope and procedure,” the commission said.