League in TV pub crackdown

Pubs illegally showing football matches on a Saturday afternoon are being targeted in a crackdown by the Premier League.

Landlords use satellite equipment and imported decoder cards to screen broadcasts from other countries, such as South Africa and Ireland, which have bought Premiership rights and are not subject to the UEFA restriction.

Tomorrow, up to 500 pubs in London will be illegally screening games at 3pm, but they should beware the inspectors.

In a bid to enforce the law and protect their copyright, the governing body have engaged the Federation Against Copyright Theft to probe pirate pubs.

FACT have the power to issue warnings and take legal action against offending landlords, who face fines of up to £5,000 and risk losing their licences.

A Premier League spokesman said: "London is a footballing hotbed so there is a temptation for publicans to show games illegally. But we are clamping down on it."