Bolton dismay over licence review veto
Bolton Wanderers is to seek legal advice after its local council refused its applications for licence reviews at foreign satellite football pubs.
The Premiership club had requested reviews at five pubs, which it said were showing matches on Satur-day afternoons and affecting its attendances.
However, the local council said it could not grant the reviews because the pubs were not "in the vicinity" of the club's Reebok Stadium ground - a requirement of the Licensing Act.
Bolton Wanderers' spokesman Danny Rueben said: "We had a letter from the council and we are very disappointed with their response. We are seeking legal advice and will be replying to them in due course."
A council spokesman said: "We can confirm that we have received review applications from Bolton Wanderers and have responded to the club by letter.
"We have received no further correspondence from them as yet, but at this stage we have stated that within the meaning of the Licensing Act, we feel the licensed premises are not within the vicinity of the interested party, namely the Bolton Wanderers."
Meanwhile, a group representing foreign satellite suppliers and licensees says it is writing to the licensing authorities in every town and city with a Premiership football club to put its side of the satellite football row.
The European Satellite Television Association (ESTA) wrote to members of Bolton's licensing committee after Bolton Wanderers FC applied for licence reviews. But ESTA chairman Colin McGhee said it would send the same letters to all licensing authorities with Premiership clubs to pre-empt further action.
McGhee said: "I'm from Lancashire and I've been to watch Bolton and Blackburn. There are empty seats be-cause the prices are too high - Bolton has just announced it is reducing them.
"That is the reason the stadia are not full. The dispute has nothing to do with a few people sitting in a pub watching by satellite."
