PL to pull the plug on pirate match broadcasts

The Premier League (SPL) and TV Company Setanta Sports say they will "inform the relevant authorities" and consider taking legal action against bars which breach the laws of UEFA, football's governing body, by broadcasting the games on Saturday afternoons. They will also clamp down on internet sites that illegally stream live footage of SPL matches in Scotland, with action already taken to shut down six such sites.

SPL games are sold for live coverage overseas, but cannot be shown live in the UK between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday, according to UEFA rules. However, some bars are now able to tap into satellite signals and illegally broadcast the matches as they happen. The official live rights for matches were sold to Setanta Sports, which is also not allowed to show the matches during the "closed period" on a Saturday afternoon. Saturday's eagerly awaited top-of-the-table clash between Celtic and Hearts was watched by hundreds of Hearts fans across the capital, with some reporting that pubs showing the live game were packed. At one venue, in Meadowbank, police were believed to have insisted on the doors being closed at half-time because of the number of fans in the bar.

Greig Mailer, a spokesman for the SPL, claimed the problem, which had surfaced in Scotland in recent months, was now a real concern. He said: "We will be taking the necessary steps to contact offending pubs and other establishments, and we will campaign to make people aware that this is illegal. “There are a number of legal steps we can take and when we find a pub showing a game illegally we will raise it with the relevant authorities. "With games on the internet, we have taken action to shut down six websites. If they don't listen we can take action with their internet service providers and force them to shut down the website. If they do not, we can take legal action against them."

The SPL is to launch a hotline to encourage bars or individuals to report any people who are illegally screening games. A spokesman for Setanta Sports said: "We are discussing the matter with the SPL. We are concerned that people are infringing copyright and we support the action that the SPL intend to take to rectify the matter."