Spanish Soccer League Backs Channel That Flouted U.K. Match Ban
- Upstart streaming company has defied the ban over two weekends
- Blackout was designed to encourage fans to attend matches
Fans of Valencia celebrate during a La Liga match between Valencia CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Mestalla in Valencia on Oct. 7, 2018.
Photographer: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images
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Spain’s elite soccer league has rallied behind a streaming channel that defied a decades-old British ban on live Saturday afternoon broadcasts, saying people watch the games on illegal channels and betting websites anyway.
Eleven Sports showed U.K. audiences two live games from Spain’s La Liga during the Saturday blackout that runs from 2:45 to 5:15 p.m., on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6. The rule was introduced in the 1960s after club owners complained that people were deserting football grounds to watch matches on TV instead.