The 2022/23 Premier League has just ended. But the English top-flight fever just doesn’t seem to go away – albeit for the wrong reasons.
According to multiple reports, due to the illegal streaming of the Premier League, five men have been jailed and sentenced to 11 years in prison. FootTheBall takes a look at what is this incident about and where it all began.
Premier League illegal streaming incident
As mentioned earlier, a five-man gang was jailed who offered a cut-price Premier League subscription service. This cut-price deal was offered to thousands of people for which they were jailed at the Chesterfield Crown Court.
The Ringleader Mark Gould was given a bigger sentence than the other four members of the gang. Gould was sentenced to eleven years while the rest of the gang was sentenced for a period of between three to four years.
Premier League released a statement saying that a money laundering case has been brought to the surface which generated more than $10m in the last five years. The five-member gang offered illegal access to matches from various television channels.
There has been a reportedly sixth member who did not show up for the hearing and a warrant has been issued for the same.
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Premier League general counsel Kevin Plumb also stated after the hearing, “Today’s sentencing is the result of a long and complex prosecution of a highly sophisticated operation.
“The sentences handed down, which are the longest sentences ever issued for piracy-related crimes, vindicate the efforts made to bring these individuals to justice and reflect the severity and extent of the crimes.
“This prosecution is another concrete example of the clear links between piracy and wider criminality, a warning we repeatedly make.
“While most Premier League fans enjoy watching our games in a safe way, those who were customers of these services were effectively supporting individuals involved in other sinister and dangerous organised crime.”
Premier League streaming rules and regulations
In the United Kingdom, match rights were given to BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video Sport and Sky Sports for the 2022/23 season. For overseas telecasts, the Premier League has various broadcasters which differ according to different regions.
The Premier League also expect swift and concrete actions and a conclusion on the matter and have promised the fans a match pleasant experience in the future.
