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Highlights of England’s World Cup qualifying match against Croatia in Zagreb on September 10 will not be shown on the BBC or ITV unless a financial dispute with Setanta Sports, the live broadcaster, is resolved in the next few days.

The impasse means that fans will be able to watch the fixture — and the Andorra tie four days earlier — only on Setanta’s pay-television service. FA insiders are said to be unhappy at the prospect and the game’s domestic governing body indicated it could not remember when an England game was not available on free-to-air television either live or in highlights form.

Setanta argued that it had not been offered enough money for the highlights rights, saying that “it had not yet received a proposal that makes commercial sense”. The BBC and ITV feel they are being rebuffed, amid accusations that Setanta wants to encourage more people to sign up to its platform.

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“The prices they have been talking about are so high, we don’t think they are serious,” a broadcasting source said. A spokesman for the FA said that “it was not a situation that we can control. England qualifiers overseas are ultimately the responsibility of the host country’s football association.” But it is an unfortunate start for the £425 million rights deal with ITV and Setanta negotiated by Brian Barwick, the outgoing FA chief executive.

Only 740,000 tuned in to watch Setanta’s coverage of England’s 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic last week, with the highlights on ITV attracting 1.5 million. Key matches can pull in many more viewers; England’s Euro 2008 qualifying game against Croatia attracted more than 13 million to the BBC coverage last November.

There is no requirement that any home nation’s qualifying matches be shown on free-to-air television — although the European Championship and World Cup finals must be shown on a free channel. ITV holds the rights to show England’s competitive home matches, with Setanta controlling live rights for all the competitive away ties.

A similar row occurred in 2000, when a little-known broadcaster, u\>direct, bought the rights to show Finland against England and charged viewers £9.99. That prompted an outcry and u\>direct sold highlights rights to the BBC. Richard Brooke, then u\>direct’s chief executive, is now director of corporate development at Setanta.

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