America's Cup defender Team New Zealand appears to be making waves about media accreditation for the regattas leading up to the cup final.
The America's Cup Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Italian challenger Luna Rossa's sponsor, Prada, says a "major disagreement has arisen".
In a statement, Prada claim Team New Zealand has threatened to "deny accreditation on the basis of articles deemed by the defender to be unpleasant or inaccurate".
Prada says it wants to preserve the freedom of the press and is taking over media accreditation.
Team New Zealand says media arrangements need joint agreement between the defender and challenger, and if this can't be achieved it is happy for Prada to run the media centre.
TVNZ has the New Zealand broadcast rights, but by late November, only three foreign journalists had been approved entry to New Zealand to cover the events.
Immigration New Zealand has previously said the criteria for granting exceptions to border restrictions was set high, to help slow the number of people bringing Covid-19 into the country.
The first race of the World Series begins next Thursday. The events culminate in March with the premier event - the America's Cup Match.
Team New Zealand and the Luna Rossa team had also had differences over how the regatta will be run, that have spilled over publicly.
And last month the Serious Fraud Office confirmed it has had discussions over the use of taxpayer funding for the America's Cup with a senior government official.
