EFL and SPFL Investigate Russian Broadcasts of League Matches

The English Football League and Scottish Professional Football League have opened investigations after matches from their competitions were shown in Russia this season. The Guardian reported that both organisations are also considering legal action as they try to stop the broadcasts and establish how the footage was obtained.

Russian subscription and streaming service Football TV has carried games from the first two rounds of the EFL season, according to the report. Scottish Premiership fixtures involving Celtic, Rangers and Hearts have also appeared on the service, with several broadcasts promoted through Football TV’s Telegram channel.

Neither the EFL nor the SPFL has sold a Russian rights package since March 2022, when both competitions halted broadcasts in the country following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Guardian said the live pictures therefore appeared to have been acquired and transmitted without authorisation. Before the suspension, Football TV held an EFL rights agreement, while Match TV carried the Scottish Premiership.

The EFL contacted Football TV last week after learning that multiple games had been shown, the report said. Those included Cardiff City’s 1-1 draw with Wrexham and Watford’s 2-1 victory over Southampton. Football TV subsequently carried West Ham United against Charlton Athletic and West Bromwich Albion against Burnley during the weekend.

The West Ham-Charlton and West Brom-Burnley broadcasts were reportedly labelled as test events. That has prompted concern about what other English football content the service may seek to carry. The Premier League also suspended its Russian broadcasts in 2022; its rights in the country had previously been held by Okko Sport.

The immediate focus for the EFL and SPFL is stopping the transmissions and identifying the source supplying the match feeds, according to The Guardian. Both leagues are understood to be keeping open the option of legal action against Football TV and any party providing access. An SPFL source told the newspaper that the league was examining the issue with its broadcast distribution rights partner, Infront. The EFL and SPFL declined to comment publicly.