Be Careful Using Phones During the Game !!

[Coxy27]

33 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

Thanks for the input, interesting to hear from someone with some inside knowledge of the practices being discussed. Not sure if you read the guy's twitter thread rather than just the BBC article. He clearly states the reason that he was given for the approach by the ComSec guy, to me the below reads as "we think you're court-siding" albeit for others:

 

To be honest, I hadn't seen that. However, it doesn't change it really for me. From my experience, I would be willing to bet (poor choice of words?) that he was ejected for a suspected case of unlicensed data collection rather than anything to do with actually placing bets on matches.

There's every likelihood that the person enforcing this didn't really even understand it themselves (clearly they didn't, or they wouldn't have ejected an innocent person texting on their phone). Perhaps they did tell him it was to do with courtsiding because they thought it was, or perhaps they told him about information gathering and bookmakers etc and he had interpreted it that way. Whatever the situation, I think it extremely unlikely that the real reason was anything but the suspicion that he was a scout for a data provider.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Not the same case but similar- and the same club!! Dunno if it's the same unlucky individual yet but...

Are ComSec active at our ground too, or is it different companies in different regions- anyone know?

 

[Port Said Red]

Did anyone else see one of the Cardiff players using their phone on the bench behind Colin? I thought it was very unprofessional and disrespectful to his team mates.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Revisited the original incident when I saw this story..

Couple of interesting lines that may or may not have been covered in this thread already. 

1) The steward who was presumably working in conjunction with the Comsec rep was watching the guy but not necessarily over his shoulder or direct at the screen.

2) Watching the guy who was texting from the Upper West Stand by using binoculars.

@BTRFTG I seem to recall that you questioned the legality of this, or, if they were looking over a shoulder. Using binoculars from another stand or on high?

Doubt the Comsec rep or steward would have got the specifics of what was being texted- somewhat more lawful then if true? 

I suspect they merely identified that someone was texting persistently through this! 

Also found this article- everyone maybe keen,  worth a look! Not seen it myself yet. 

https://www.betangel.com/blog_wp/2015/08/09/my-job-as-a-football-data-scout/

If the link still even works that is!

[BTRFTG]

21 hours ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

@BTRFTG I seem to recall that you questioned the legality of this

For an authorised body to obtain the content of a phone or transmission requires a warrant - football clubs are not authorised bodies.

Secondly, for the warrant to be granted it must explain whether there's an immediate threat to life or property and/or that the request is proportionate, necessary and lawful. In respect of football game I'd suggest any warrant would fail on all counts.

[steveybadger]

On 10 November 2019 at 18:57, Port Said Red said:

Did anyone else see one of the Cardiff players using their phone on the bench behind Colin? I thought it was very unprofessional and disrespectful to his team mates.

Might be wrong but looked like Bailey Wright was also at one point - head down earnest stare etc but couldn't see his hands

[Mr Popodopolous]

27 minutes ago, BTRFTG said:

For an authorised body to obtain the content of a phone or transmission requires a warrant - football clubs are not authorised bodies.

Secondly, for the warrant to be granted it must explain whether there's an immediate threat to life or property and/or that the request is proportionate, necessary and lawful. In respect of football game I'd suggest any warrant would fail on all counts.

Thanks, that is an interesting insight.

I'll get back onto authorised bodies in a minute but I'm not convinced from further reading that he obtained the contents of the phone- the steward or official I'm guessing under instruction, was though watching him through binoculars from another stand or an upper stand for the duration of the first half. Unsure if that makes it much better!

Agree on this- seems well OTT- what category would trying to prevent bookies from being ripped off fall under, warrant acceptability wise?

Authorised bodies- am broadly assuming that you mean the police etc? I'd have to read back through the thread and the stories but I'm not wholly sure they had the contents, merely a suspicion based on persistent phone usage and the aforementioned use of binoculars from a vantage point!

Could ultra advanced CCTV or however advanced it is at football in 2019, have noted the contents or isn't that really technologically possible?

[BTRFTG]

30 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Agree on this- seems well OTT- what category would trying to prevent bookies from being ripped off fall under, warrant acceptability wise?

If it was organised, high volume, high value 'theft' possibly, though I'd expect any authoriser to first question whether the betting operator should be accepting unusual wagers of that type? Recall bets are 'gentlemans agreements' and not enforceable in law - the bookie doesn't have to pay out..... 

I myself had a csf refunded the other day as the bookie notified I'd placed the wager 10 minutes or more post the 'off' owing to an error on their app.

It had lost ........

[wendyredredrobin]

On 10/11/2019 at 18:57, Port Said Red said:

Did anyone else see one of the Cardiff players using their phone on the bench behind Colin? I thought it was very unprofessional and disrespectful to his team mates.

Especially as he was texting a transfer request.

[Up The City!]

On 13/08/2019 at 10:44, Mr Popodopolous said:

I believe they are despite the regulation and a blind eye is generally turned- never heard of anyone pulled up for taking photos.

I was once pulled up many years ago in the infancy of camera phones. Was told if I take another picture they would confiscate my phone! 

Clubs these days encourage fans to take pictures etc and share them with them on social media and even use that material themselves sometimes. 

If our game is on 94.9 I'll listen to the game on my phone in the ground. I often text or come on here during a game, mostly during stoppages. I sometimes take pictures and videos. 

I'm just thinking that potentially by wearing headphones and accessing my phone i could be accused of court siding!

[Mr Popodopolous]

8 hours ago, Up The City! said:

I was once pulled up many years ago in the infancy of camera phones. Was told if I take another picture they would confiscate my phone! 

Clubs these days encourage fans to take pictures etc and share them with them on social media and even use that material themselves sometimes. 

If our game is on 94.9 I'll listen to the game on my phone in the ground. I often text or come on here during a game, mostly during stoppages. I sometimes take pictures and videos. 

I'm just thinking that potentially by wearing headphones and accessing my phone i could be accused of court siding!

It's probably in the regulations somewhere, that technically they can get you to stop- confiscating phone threat sounds like an overstep though! Private property and all that, and as you say early days!

It's a grey area IMO.

Nothing wrong with that.

So far, this issue seems to have been confined to Hull- localised problem? Still it's a worry I'm sure, but provided stewards are well trained and apply some common sense- same especially goes for this company- it should be alright.

[BTRFTG]

9 hours ago, Up The City! said:

I was once pulled up many years ago in the infancy of camera phones. Was told if I take another picture they would confiscate my phone! 

Such is the utter idiocy of football clubs, including City. Not unreasonably there are legitimate restrictions on the recording and transmission of any intellectual property or image rights but there's nothing to stop one using ones phone in the ground.

In City's case they forbid use of any images captured in the ground being uploaded to social media, then occasionally ask for fans to upload or tweet images used to decorate the big screen - make your mind up folks.

Ditto, you're not supposed to note, record or disseminate, digitally or otherwise, data generated by the game. In theory one should instantly forget the game one has just watched (easy for Gasheads) and when a mate asks how City got on or details of the game, you shouldn't be telling them without having obtained City's permission. You'll recall the case whereby the football authorities claimed one could not reproduce the fixture list without making payment to them - that was ruled stupid, restrictive and Court dismissed the 'protection'.