FA meets pub trade over satellite football row

By John Harrington

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Foreign satellite Premier league Sky

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The FA Premier League has held a summit meeting with trade bodies as it bids to stamp out illegal football screening in pubs. The meeting, at Premier...

The FA Premier League has held a summit meeting with trade bodies as it bids to stamp out illegal football screening in pubs.

The meeting, at Premier League headquarters in London, was attended by representatives of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).

FA Premier League says it ·​ has 145 licensee prosecutions pending·​ has sent 3,500 letters to licensees suspected of showing illegal football·​ has secured three successful prosecutions since the Gannon case·​ will target foreign satellite suppliers

The Premier League hopes to end the confusion over the legality of showing Premiership football via a foreign satellite system.

It maintains the practice is illegal and says it will continue to clamp down on licensees and, as reported on morningadvertiser.co.uk yesterday, it will focus on satellite providers who sell the equipment and subscription to foreign channels.

The FAPL said it expects to launch legal action against suppliers within the next few months.

Ray Hoskin, boss of Media Protection Services, which investigates illegal screenings, also spoke after the meeting.

He said at least five trading standards bodies across the country are looking to take action against the flyers provided by equipment suppliers.

Signal cut threat·​ Licensees who broadcast football via foreign satellite risk having their signals cut with no notice.·​ The FAPL warned hosts who think they are saving money they could end up losing everything - when transmissions are cut after the provider is prosecuted.

Hoskin said the flyers break trade description laws and could amount to conspiracy to defraud, because they falsely state equipment suppliers are sanctioned by the FAPL.

Hoskin also said MPS would be cracking down on managed operators who allow these games to be shown.

He said one such case, a trial against the Spirit Group's Tom Sawyer in Deansgate, Manchester is due to be heard in July.

The recent confusion stems from a court case, first reported on morningadvertiser.co.uk, in which former Rochdale licensee Brian Gannon​ won an appeal against a conviction for showing live football not from Sky.

FAPL: Why Gannon is not test case·​ Three convictions since Gannon ruling in March·​ Judges did not say showing games in the closed period is legal.·​ Gannon said he was unaware of illegality - he was "objectively dishonest" rather than "subjectively dishonest".·​ Ruling was taken at Crown Court, which does not have the authority to decide test cases.

Gannon's lawyers say they have around 25 similar cases pending up and down the country and hope to blow Sky's monopoly apart by winning them all.

However, the Premier League says the Gannon case was not a test case and told this morning's meeting they have had three successful prosecutions since.

They also said they had begun proceedings against five satellite suppliers and are preparing cases against 15 more.

How do you feel about the confusion over foreign satellite football? Tell us (anonymously) if you show it or if you have been offered it. Do you feel the current set up is too expensive or should everyone just play by the rules? Email us by clicking this link

Your CommentsCarol​ via email 04/05/2006"We show european football but we do pay for Sky aswell. Pubs have been doing this for years and it doesnt seem to affect the amount of people attending matches. Why should sky have the monopoly? I thought we lived in a free country but now we are being told where we can smoke, what we watch on TV and at what time!!!!"

E B Cant​ via email 04/05/2006"With regards to foreign tv showing football, I was offered this package, I asked for written guarantees that if I should be prosecuted, all bills would be met be the supplier, they did not get back in touch, I then tele sky, they said it was illegal to have this system in, if it turns out to be legal, should`nt sky then be sued for given us false information, which stopped me having this system put in. I do feel that sky`s monopoly on sport is very wrong & that some of our politicians are having some financial backhanders."

Rick Hart​ via email 04/05/2006"Maybe I've come to the party late, but has anyone looked at http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ShearerDetail/0,,10278~694114,00.html ? Newcastle United seem to be able to show live matches in Shearer's bar, home and away, regardless of the 'closed' period - so why can't everybody else? Surely if Sky allow them to do this, without prosecution, then they've established some sort of precedent - in which case everybody else should be able to follow suit. Or am I missing the point somewhere?"

We actually ran the same story but when we asked FAPL they said they owned the rights and had given the bar permission - Iain

Kev Jackson​, 05/05/2006Sky have prosecuted successfully on 3 occasions - however this was for land lords "piping" football from a domestic system down to the pub, which we all know is illegal. It has nothing to do with foreign satellite systems. I went to the court case mentioned. The JUDGE said it was not illegal to use a foreign satellite system - the subscription had been paid and the equipment was fully legal.

Secondly they were watching games at 3 pm on Saturdays which is during the closed period as agreed by the FA. There is no Law that says one can not watch a match on Sat at 3pm - this is just an agreement between the FA and Sky.

Lastly The copyright act actually states that when copyright is purchased by an alternative platform from the originator ie Sky sell the rights to Greeknova, then what ever the platform does with the transmission has nothing what so ever to do with the seller/originator - that being Sky. So its like anything else once youve owned something, and you sell it on its got nothing to do with the orignal owner and thats a fact of life.

Paul Marshall​, 05/05/2006What is illegal & what is not..................seems to be lots of confusion here. Closed period, Yes, no argument there. Foreign satellite transmissions out of this closed period...........confusion!!!!!

A licensee wrote earlier on that she shows foreign transmissions and also pays for Sky COMMERCIAL! then in my eyes, she is breaking no law of this land. Am I wrong!!!!?????

Your comments pleasePaulm

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