Spanish authorities has announced the shut down of the country’s biggest illegal streaming platform Cristal Azul, which had been offering La Liga and second division football matches online for free.
According to the statement issued by Spain’s Guardia Civil, a national law enforcement agency, on Friday, Cristal Azul has been defrauding two well-known Spanish Companies.
The statement read, “More than 78,000 community members… were benefiting from the broadcasting, defrauding two well-known Spanish companies of more than 42 million euros ($44.4 million).”
The operation began following a complaint filed jointly by La Liga and broadcaster Movistar, and finished with the identification of the alleged perpetrator, a 37-year-old man, now under investigation.
The operation is a victory for La Liga president Javier Tebas in his battle with illegal streaming, which he considers to be “theft” that could drive football “into bankruptcy”.
