The English Football League (EFL) and Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) have launched investigations and are considering legal action after discovering their matches have been broadcast in Russia this season. Russian subscription and streaming service Football TV has aired numerous games from the opening two rounds of the EFL, alongside Scottish Premiership matches featuring Celtic, Rangers, and Hearts.
Both leagues stopped broadcasting in Russia in March 2022, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and have not sold rights packages in the country since. This suggests the live footage of games has been obtained and televised illegally.
The EFL contacted Football TV last week after being alerted to broadcasts of several games, including Cardiff's 1-1 draw with Wrexham and Watford's 2-1 win over Southampton. Despite this complaint, the broadcaster also aired live coverage of West Ham v Charlton and West Brom v Burnley this past weekend. These matches were listed as test events, raising concerns that Football TV may also plan to show illegal content from the Premier League.
The EFL and SPFL's priority is to ensure the broadcasts cease, and they are seeking to discover the source of the pirated content. Both organisations are understood to reserve the right to take legal action against Football TV and whoever is supplying it with access to their matches. An SPFL source stated the league is investigating the matter with its broadcasting distribution rights holder, Infront.