Pub football fight hit by High Court delay

A ruling on whether the FA Premier League can prosecute pub landlords for using foreign satellite systems to screen Premier League games has been delayed at the High Court.

Karen Murphy, who runs The Red, White and Blue pub in Portsmouth, was convicted at magistrates’ and crown courts for earlier this year for using a decoder from Greek broadcaster Nova. It charges £800 a year compared to the £6,000 fee BSkyB charges to screen games.

Murphy’s appeal at the High Court has been delayed after the FAPL claimed her solicitor missed the deadline to submit her appeal. It is understood that the delay was caused by some paperwork that needed to be corrected and the process will start when this has been completed.

The FAPL says that it will continue to take “appropriate action” against licensees that use foreign sateliite systems and suppliers of the equipment. Murphy installed the system under her former brewery Gales but it was later sold to Fullers.