Nowadays, as a sports fan, you don’t have to attend sporting events in person. In addition, you don’t have to invest in expensive cable packages. Instead, you can stream and enjoy your favourite sporting event from the comfort of your home.
Unfortunately, several sports streaming platforms you will find online are operated illegally. And while many of them manage to evade the eyes of authorities, a few, like HesGoal, are not that lucky.
What is HesGoal?
HesGoal was an illegal streaming site famous for offering live-view access for football matches and several other sports.
The site was launched in 2016 and quickly became the go-to streaming platform for fans looking to enjoy matches from the English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, UEFA Champions League, and Europa League.
The site also offered live streams of other sports like golf, Formula 1, and tennis.
Who owns HesGoal?
According to the Daily Mail Online, HesGoal was owned by Mark Goul, the mastermind behind the illegal streaming operation.
He operated the site in cohorts with associates like Steve Gordon, Peter Jolley, Christopher Felvus, Zark Smith, and William Brown.
In addition, Hesgoal owners reportedly employed over 30 employees, who helped them manage their streaming operation.
Most of the live streams offered by HesGoal were free, but the owners made tons of money through website advertising. In addition, they offered a cut cable service to direct subscribers, whom they reportedly charged £10 a month.
According to BBC, the Premier League illegal streaming operation generated around £7.2 million between 2016 and 2021, with Gould earning around £1.7 million.
What happened to HesGoal founders?
HesGoal owners were arrested, prosecuted, and ultimately sentenced by U.K. courts in 2023.
According to Daily Mail, Mark Gould was sentenced to 11 years after being charged with two counts of conspiracy to defraud and contempt of court.
Steve Gordon, also charged with conspiracy to defraud and contempt of court, was jailed for five years and nine months.
Another one of the HesGoal owners, Peter Jolley, was charged with conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, resulting in a jail term of five years and two months.
William Brown, on the other hand, was handed a four-year and nine months prison sentence on a charge of conspiracy to defraud.
The fifth co-conspirator, Christopher Felvus, was sentenced to three years and 11 months on a conspiracy to defraud charge.
In addition, according to The Mirror, Felvus was also found guilty of an additional count of voyeurism after being found with indecent child images on his computer.
Lastly, the sixth owner, Zak Smith, skipped the sentencing hearing, leading the authorities to issue an arrest warrant for him.
How were the owners found?
HesGoal owners were arrested following a streaming crackdown led by the Premier League in collaboration with the Federation Against Copyright Theft.
The initial case against the suspects was a private prosecution spearheaded by the league.
What happened to HesGoal?
HesGoal is no longer in operation. The website was seized by U.S. law enforcement agencies in 2012 during the World Cup period.
Also seized along HesGoal were several other illegal streaming football sites like weakstreams.com, istream2watch.com, score808.com, freestreams-live1.com, and 9goaltv.cc.
Following the crackdown on HesGoal, U.K. authorities also acquired details of some illegal streamers using the service.
The Federation Against Copyright Theft investigators reportedly visited some of them, warning them against their activities. However, none of the streamers have faced legal action for using the illegal streaming platform.
Conclusion
Streaming can be a great way to enjoy sports in the comfort of your home. However, as the HesGoal saga has proved, illegal streaming is not okay and can easily get you in trouble.
Therefore, you are better off subscribing to a legal streaming service if you want to be on the right side of the law.
