Spanish financial regulators have fined four football clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as a television producer millions of euros for allegedly breaking the rules on the sale of TV rights.

The National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) handed out fines totaling €15 million for “a very serious infraction” of the rules on the acquisition of football-related rights, it said.

TV production giant Mediapro was fined €6.5 million, while Real Madrid were ordered to pay €3.9 million and Barcelona €3.6 million. The regulator also fined Sevilla €900,000 and Racing Santander €30,000.

It said the clubs all signed four-year contracts with Mediapro to broadcast their domestic league and cup matches, when the maximum duration of such a deal was limited to three years by competition law.

Barcelona said they would appeal the ruling at Spain’s National Court. They have two months to do so. The club said in a statement that the contract it signed with Mediapro respected the law and “has not practically affected the audio-visual market.”

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