UEFA welcomes anti-piracy operation conducted by the Guardia di Finanza in Italy

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), organizer and owner of UEFA EURO 2020, welcomes the anti-piracy operation in Italy conducted by the Guardia di Finanza, and coordinated by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office.

The operation, which lasted over a week, has seen more than 600 illegal platforms blocked which were unlawfully making available UEFA EURO 2020 matches. The Guardia di Finanza is primarily responsible for dealing with financial crime and smuggling in Italy.

“UEFA welcomes and supports the ‘Euro Strike 2020’ anti-piracy operation which has been undertaken by the Guardia di Finanza and coordinated by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office. We would like to thank everyone involved for their efforts in fighting audiovisual piracy,” said a UEFA spokesperson.

“Financial revenue generated from media rights sales is vital for the well-being of football, both professional and amateur, and in particular football development and grassroots investment throughout Europe. Therefore, it is important to protect our broadcasters for the good of the game including by bringing actions such as this against pirates.”

Since the edition of the UEFA EURO staged in 2004, UEFA has made €2.6 billion available to its member associations through its HatTrick programme, with the vast majority of funding coming from the sale of media rights.