On 8 September, senior representatives from European Leagues members met with European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen in Brussels to discuss one of the most pressing challenges facing European football: the piracy of live sports content.

Live sports are different. When the final whistle blows, much of the commercial value of the content is gone. Yet, despite rights holders issuing notices, illegal streams frequently remain available for significant periods during the live event.

European Leagues stressed the need for targeted EU legislative action to address this specific challenge.

In particular, they called for the EU framework to provide greater clarity around what “expeditious” action means in the context of piracy of live sports, ensuring that, following a valid notification, illegal streams can be removed rapidly enough to protect the live window.

This is not simply about protecting commercial rights. Revenues from legitimate sports broadcasting underpin investment across the football pyramid – from professional clubs and competitions through to grassroots football, supported by the solidarity mechanisms of the professional game.

European Leagues welcomes the opportunity to engage with Vice-President Virkkunen and the European Commission and looks forward to continuing constructive engagement with the aim of ensuring that EU policy provides an effective legislative response to live sports piracy.

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