TV giant beIN Sports tells Premier League clubs to block Newcastle takeover involving Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a £300million-plus deal.
The Qatar-based broadcaster have written to the Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Masters, and all clubs, saying Saudi Arabia should be held to account for its involvement in a pirate TV network, which illegally broadcasts Premier League matches.
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The Premier League along with other organisations and governing bodies have called on Arabsat – a Saudi state satellite operator – to stop providing a platform for a pirate network.
It was in 2017 that the beoutQ network started illegally streaming sporting events, and despite repeated attempts, little has been done to halt the piracy.
Last year, football authorities attempted to shut the beoutQ service down without success.
Yousef al-Obaidly, the chief executive of beIN, said: “The danger of allowing the acquisition of a controlling or material interest (whether acquired directly or indirectly) in a major Premier League club by what is effectively the Saudi Arabian government cannot be ignored given the country’s past and continuing illegal actions and their direct impact upon the commercial interests of the Premier League, its member clubs, its broadcast partners and football in general.
“As a longstanding partner and huge investor in the Premier League, we urge you to consider carefully all the implications of doing so.
“The legacy of the illegal service will continue to impact you going forward.
“When the Premier League season re-commences in the coming months, all of the league’s broadcasters’ content will continue to be readily and illegally available via the IPTV streaming functionality on the beoutQ set-top-boxes which were sold in significant quantities in Saudi Arabia and the broader MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
“Furthermore – given the crippling economic effect that coronavirus is having on the sports industry – this is all happening at a time when football clubs need to protect their broadcast revenue the most.”
In the separate letter sent to Masters, Al-Obaidly asks the League to apply the Owners’ and Directors’ Test, taking into account the “direct role of Saudi Arabia in the launch, promotion and operation of the beoutQ service.”
In a letter seen by The Times, he adds: “It is no exaggeration to say that the future economic model of football is at stake.
“The danger of allowing the acquisition of a controlling or material interest (whether acquired directly or indirectly) in a major Premier League club by what is effectively the Saudi Arabian government cannot be ignored given the country’s past and continuing illegal actions and their direct impact upon the commercial interests of the Premier League, its member clubs, its broadcast partners and football in general.
“As a longstanding partner and huge investor in the Premier League, we urge you to consider carefully all the implications of doing so.
“The apparent involvement in the acquisition of NUFC of the principal sovereign wealth fund of the very country that for nearly three years has openly facilitated the operation of the largest and most sophisticated sports piracy service ever seen — beoutQ — greatly concerns us.”
A political dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar has been ongoing since 2017.
Fans reacted after reading that a TV giant tells Premier League clubs to block the Newcastle takeover…
The irony of these helmets taking the moral high ground
— Oldroyd (@oldroyd_tom) April 22, 2020
Staveley &Co would have known this would be raised. It’s unlikely they haven’t addressed it. This is just BeIN having a tantrum. PL need the investment & a more competitive PL for the brand to grow – especially now. This takeover is extremely beneficial for the PL.
Relax#NUFC
— Graeme Bell (@GraemeBell_NUFC) April 22, 2020
In a nutshell Qatar through Bein sports accused a Saudi Arabian tv network albeit a state TV network of illegally streaming matches, it went to court in France the Saudi TV channel were found not guilty. So how can that effect a Directors and Owners test.
— Ian Summers (@iansumm03608301) April 21, 2020
Saudi Arabia not being able to buy Newcastle United because Bein Sport get their feeds pirated has been doing the rounds since the last time the bid to buy the club was ‘close’.
I think the Saudis, Reubens and Staveley would be well aware of this issue, if it was one, by now.— NUFCThreatLevel (@NUFCThreatLevel) April 21, 2020
I was a bit worried about hairy hands’ beIN Sports writing to the Premier League to object to the Saudis proposed takeover of #nufc on the grounds of piracy and threatened that it would affect future TV desks until I read this. pic.twitter.com/bI9UM4f36B
— Mark (@Mark74NUFC) April 21, 2020
Dear lord, what a sad little life @beINSPORTS_EN. You’ve ruined the takeover, completely, just for extra TV money but i hope now you spend it on getting some lessons in grace and decorum because you have all the grace of a reversing dump truck without any tires on #nufc pic.twitter.com/RzikvFyoL5
— Lewis (@_lewisnufc_) April 22, 2020
Fuck bein sports
Fuck hairy hands
Fuck collymore
Fuck merson
Fuck delaney
Fuck psg owners
Fuck amnesty
Infact fuk them all
Seems like us vrs the world at the min. Well suck it up bitches b/c it’s imminent that we are to become the richest team in the world. #NUFCTakeover— kessy nufc (@kestrel1971) April 22, 2020
This is how you fail a fit and propper persons test folks. Nothing @amnesty or @beINSPORTS can do about it. And of course, if PIF/PCP/RB Sports were to fail it, I’m sure they would apeal the decision and hammer the @premierleague throughout proceedings… #NUFC#nufctakover pic.twitter.com/V18QxsXCmM
— Gareth Sewell (@TheGaz1982) April 22, 2020
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