More than 2,000 hospitality establishments inspected for the illicit broadcast of football matches

Approximately 60% of the establishments inspected were carrying out this illicit activity through various modalities, the most common being the use of a “vitamined” decoder.

The Cybercrime Unit of the National Police, after the complaint filed by LaLiga, has carried out a macro operation in more than 2,000 public establishments that broadcast football championship matches without a license.

The operation, which has ended with more than 800 illegal decoders seized, was carried out between December 11, 12 and 13 and practically all of the Judicial Police Brigades of the National Police participated.

This operation has occurred as a result of the complaint filed by the LaLiga Integrity and Security Department with the advice of the Legal Area. The crimes that are allegedly attributed to those responsible for the establishments that could have been intervened are classified in the articles 270.1 and 286.4 of the penal code and carry implicit penalties of up to 4 years in prison.

The complaints are the result of data collected by the Territorial Network of LaLiga Content License Verifiers, a work team created specifically for the detection of public establishments that broadcast LaLiga matches illegally.

This work team, made up of more than a hundred workers, has already carried out so far this This football season more than 20,000 visits to public establishments that broadcast football, detecting more than 9,000 fraudulent emissions.

As a result of this information, LaLiga proceeded to report the aforementioned criminal acts to the Police, informing them of both the information it had and the documentary support collected.

The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, highlights that "this police operation is an enormous success, not only for the football industry, but for the entire entertainment industry in our country. The immense work carried out by the LaLiga Verification Network and the successful operation of the National Police mark a before and after in the fight against piracy. We have to be very clear when it comes to classifying these practices as what they are, crimes, and remain firm in the fight against this scourge."

The objective of the complaints is to defend those establishments that do comply with the law and that are affected by unfair competition from those that broadcast illegally. With this type of actions, LaLiga also aims to defend the clubs, their fans and all those people who make a living directly or indirectly from the football industry.

LaLiga in Spain contributes more than 1,300 million euros in taxes to the State coffers, and the football industry employs more than 100,000 people with an annual turnover equivalent to more than 1% of GDP. Economic losses due to audiovisual piracy are estimated at more than 400 million euros annually.

It is estimated that 52% of public establishments that broadcast football are subscribed to the official LaLiga channel in HORECA, while the other 48% make illicit use. Of the latter, 33% make irregular use through residential signals and 66% use decoders for illegal use, which are the objects of action by the National Police.