Qatar’s beIN Media Group on Monday urged football’s governing body FIFA to take legal action against what it called pirate broadcasters in Saudi Arabia ahead of the World Cup. Tom Keaveny, beIN’s managing director in the MENA region, called it a “full piracy operation” that is heavily funded. The Qatari broadcaster also accused authorities in Saudi Arabia of removing beIN cable boxes from restaurants and hotels. Saudi Arabia is the largest shareholder of Riyadh-based Arabsat. Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup and its state-owned national carrier Qatar Airways is a FIFA “official partner and airline”.

Source: Punch May 28, 2018 14:26 UTC