Russian TV Illegally Broadcasting EFL and Scottish Premiership Matches, Leagues Investigate
English and Scottish football authorities are investigating and considering legal action after discovering that live matches have been broadcast in Russia without permission, more than four years after both leagues cut their Russian TV ties following the invasion of Ukraine.
Football TV, a Russian subscription and streaming service, has shown numerous games from the opening two rounds of the EFL — the three professional divisions below the Premier League — as well as Scottish Premiership matches featuring Celtic, Rangers and Hearts, according to The Guardian. The EFL contacted Football TV last week after being alerted that several games, including Cardiff's 1-1 draw with Wrexham and Watford's 2-1 win over Southampton, were being televised in Russia.
Despite that complaint, Football TV went ahead and aired live coverage of West Ham v Charlton and West Brom v Burnley over the weekend. Those two matches were listed on the service as "test events," raising concerns that the broadcaster may also be preparing to show Premier League games illegally.
Several Scottish Premiership matches have been shown over the past two weekends, with the broadcasts promoted on Football TV's Telegram channel. An SPFL source said the league was investigating the matter alongside Infront, its broadcasting distribution rights holder.
Both the EFL and the SPFL stopped selling broadcast rights in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. The Scottish FA and SPFL instructed their broadcast partners to suspend all feeds of Scottish football in Russia immediately after the invasion. The Premier League followed suit, suspending its own deal with Russia's Match TV the same year. Before the invasion, the EFL had a rights contract with Football TV itself, and the Scottish Premiership was broadcast on Match TV.
That means the live footage now appearing on Russian screens has no legitimate source. Both leagues reserve the right to take legal action against Football TV and whoever is supplying it with access to their match feeds. The EFL and SPFL declined to comment further.
What makes this situation unusual is the brazenness. Football TV is not some shadowy stream hidden behind a VPN — it is a subscription service promoting matches openly on Telegram, even after the EFL made direct contact. The Premier League, which suspended its own Russian broadcasts on Okko Sport in 2022, will be watching closely. If those "test events" are a precursor to Premier League coverage, the stakes rise considerably.
For fans, the story is straightforward: matches they watched over the opening weeks of the season were beamed to paying customers in a country the leagues decided should no longer have access. Neither the clubs nor the leagues sold that access. Someone found a back door — and so far, they are still walking through it.
