AFC to sue ‘pirate entity’ beoutQ over Asian Cup

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Wednesday it was taking legal action in Saudi Arabia against television channel beoutQ for illegally broadcasting its Asian Cup, the region’s biggest football tournament.

beoutQ has been accused by soccer’s governing body FIFA, tennis governing bodies and other sports bodies of illegally airing content whose exclusive Middle East television rights belong to Qatar-based broadcaster beIN.

beoutQ emerged in 2017 after Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.

beoutQ is widely available in Saudi Arabia.

But Riyadh claims it is not based there and that the authorities are committed to fighting piracy, including announcing the confiscation of 12,000 pirating devices last June.

It is unclear who owns or operates the channel.

In a statement, the AFC said its Asian Cup, which kicked off in Abu Dhabi last week, had been appearing illegally on beoutQ.

“The Asian Football Confederation today condemns the pirate entity named ‘beoutQ’ that continues to illegally broadcast the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019,” the 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,” the statement added.

AFC did not provide further detail on the parties involved in the case or damages being sought.

The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the AFC action.

beIN Sports holds exclusive television rights to a wide range of events for the Middle East including World Cup soccer, the Premier League, and AFC matches.

Last month, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said it would investigate Qatari allegations of intellectual property breaches by Saudi Arabia, including the piracy of beIN content.

FIFA said last July it would pursue legal action against beoutQ after the illegal broadcast of its 2018 World Cup, but details of the case have not yet been made public.

beIN was previously blocked in the UAE. However, it is presently available again in the UAE although subscribers must pay an additional fee to watch the Asian Cup.

أدان الاتحاد الآسيوي لكرة القدم أعمال القرصنة التي قامت بها الهيئة التي تحمل اسم (بي آوت كيو)، والتي تواصل بشكل غير شرعي بث مباريات كأس آسيا 2019 في الإمارات.

وكان الاتحاد الآسيوي لكرة القدم أصدر توجيهاته إلى مستشاره القانوني من أجل اتخاذ الإجراءات القانونية في السعودية، وهو يعمل مع مالكي الحقوق التجارية الذين تأثروا بهذا الأمر من أجل حماية مصالحهم.

وأكد الاتحاد الآسيوي لكرة القدم، في بيان له اليوم، أنه سيواصل العمل مع شركائه التجاريين وشركاء البث التلفزيوني من أجل حماية حقوقهم بحسب العقود المعتمدة.