The Asian Football Confederation issued a statement "condemning the Saudi-backed pirate broadcaster beoutQ’s theft of live matches from the Asian Cup" currently being played in the UAE, according to Paul Nicholson of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. The championship, which kicked off last Friday, has had "every match stolen and rebroadcast on the pirate station," including the competition’s ninth game on Tuesday, when Saudi Arabia beat North Korea 4-0. The AFC statement "marks a toughening of its stance against the beoutQ piracy" as it moves to protect the rights of its broadcasters, including by taking legal action. The AFC statement said, "The AFC has already instructed counsel to take legal action in Saudi Arabia and is working alongside other sports rights owners that have also been affected to protect its interest." Asian Cup rights are held by Qatar-based regional broadcaster beIN Sports. The battle over the broadcast rights piracy is "a reflection of the wider political and economic boycott, and geographical blockade, of Qatar lead by Saudi Arabia" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 1/9).
BEIN SPORTS EGYPT: REUTERS' Abdelaty & Knecht reported beIN Sports said that it had cut its service to Egypt on Tuesday "amid a contract dispute with its service provider." The news is "likely to jolt Egypt," which stands to lose access to a "deep pool of content" held by beIN that includes La Liga, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A as well as major int'l club and country competitions. The service cut came after "lengthy negotiations" to agree to commercial terms for a new contract with Cable Network Egypt, beIN said in a statement, without providing further detail of the terms. CNE said in a statement that it was working to resolve the dispute with beIN "as soon as possible" (REUTERS, 1/8).
