Followers of the football planet already know that the famous RojaDirecta portal was taken down, but the shutdown was short-lived: it's already back online with a new identity, almost as complete as ever. Since the RojaDirecta saga isn't over, if you're looking for a way to watch soccer online for free, here are six suggestions.
Watching soccer online is a perfectly natural decision. Just as we find streaming services dedicated to movies, series, and music, users expect a similar mechanism to enjoy their favorite team. Unfortunately, the hawks of copyright think very differently. Thanks to exclusive agreements, "premium" packages, and billions of euros on the table every year, soccer has been turned into a luxury item, and even goal replays are protected by commercial rights. On the other side, portals like RojaDirecta assume the role of an "index" of streams for live matches. This has caused RojaDirecta to clash with the law more than once, and the latest hammer blow says it must cease activities on December 5. What judges and lawyers don't seem to understand is that the Web can generate alternatives in a matter of hours, even minutes. Here are six of them:
TarjetaRojaOnline
The most interesting thing about this portal as an alternative to RojaDirecta is... that it actually is not an alternative. Basically, TarjetaRojaOnline is the new name of RojaDirecta, and it keeps both the interface and the general functionality. Like its predecessor, TarjetaRojaOnline emphasizes its position as a stream index and doesn't host any content. In other words, the user goes on their own, and I think most visitors are comfortable with that.
Intergoles
With frequent updates and an effective combination of links from other portals, Intergoles positions itself as one of the best shortcuts on the Web to access free soccer. It has sections for RojaDirecta, PirloTV, and other sports besides soccer, with special emphasis on basketball. Its interface also anticipates upcoming matches, with detailed information about each event and its schedule.
FootballStreaming.info
If we broaden our horizons a bit and accept dealing with an English interface that's less intuitive than the rest, we can find resources like FootballStreaming.info. In its streams section, we discover that FSi prioritizes the Premier League and other local cups like the FA Cup and the Football League Cup. To that are added links to Spanish, Italian, German, and French soccer.
FreeFootball.ws
FreeFootball comes with a small warning: Chrome and Firefox browsers report that there are "malicious elements" on the page, but once we get past that message, everything seems to work fine, which makes us think it's a false positive. FreeFootball provides access to streams of multiple sports, including motorsports and golf, but there's something else. If TV broadcasts don't appeal to you, the portal has some links to radio broadcasts.
PirloTV
We mentioned it above, and it would be crazy to leave it off this list. PirloTV has already reflected the legal problems that RojaDirecta is going through on its official site, and it doesn't hesitate to present itself as the best option for watching soccer online. PirloTV's links also indicate the language of the commentary in the stream, and when there's nothing live, you can watch channels like ESPN and Fox Sports. PirloTV has a long legal warning. Will it be enough to avoid problems...?
FirstRow Sports
The last entry takes us to the FirstRow Sports portal. Its interface is Spartan no matter how you look at it, and the links for available broadcasts are divided into small tabs that identify each sport. One detail in FirstRow's favor is that it delivers links to streams of leagues with less media exposure, including Japanese, Polish, Greek, and Austrian ones.
To sum up, remember: soccer streams on the Web represent a huge gray area, and the big names in the market want to change that. Until then, make the most of it. Good luck!
