Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat Demands Apology From FIFA Over BeoutQ Row
The infamous beoutQ TV channel has been in the forefront for all the wrong reasons during the recently concluded FIFA World Cup. Qatar based BeIN Sports had earlier accused that beoutQ was using Arabsat signals for an illegal broadcast of the World Cup.
According to Arabian Business, Arabsat has demanded that FIFA immediately issue a public retraction of and apology for its claims that Arabsat was somehow complicit or did not do enough to stop beoutQ.
In an official statement, Arabsat had announced: “An investigation carried out by seven independent satellite communications experts has found no evidence that satellite frequencies belonging to the Riyadh-based Arab Satellite Communications Organisation were used for illegal broadcasts of the World Cup by ‘beoutQ’.”
This comes in response of Qatar based BeIN sports allegations that beoutQ was illegally transmitting its broadcasts using Arabsat signals since last October across various countries.
FIFA also picked up the allegation and repeated it.
During the tournament FIFA also went on to say that it was going to take legal action against pirate broadcasters based in Saudi Arabia.
FIFA should send official apology to ARABSAT and @media_ksa
At the same time should punishment Aljazara and BEIN for liars.#beoutQ pic.twitter.com/3QgyTlVZRE— سعودي سات (@SaudiSat3) July 17, 2018
“Arabsat has always been confident that our satellite network has not been used by beoutQ,” said Khalid Balkheyour, Arabsat’s CEO. “Nevertheless, we undertook a very costly investigation to eliminate any doubts and to provide evidence to share with FIFA and the world.”
Balkheyour also said, “We received one set of test results in which our expert blocked all Arabsat frequencies, but beoutQ’s World Cup broadcasts continued.”
In a statement, Arabsat said, “Arabsat believes BeIN Sports contrived the allegations as part of a smear campaign to deflect attention away from its technological inability to prevent beoutQ’s piracy.”
“Arabsat has been deeply offended and harmed by BeIN’s and FIFA’s attacks,” Balkheyour said. “Now that FIFA has been proven wrong, it should apologize for making such offensive statements.”
