Relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia are as soon as once more within the highlight after the Saudi Ministry of Media blocked a Qatar-owned streaming platform from broadcasting FIFA World Cup matches in the course of the opening week of the event, stories the Athletic.
Qatar agency BeIN Sports activities which is run by the Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, owns the published rights for the World Cup within the Center East and North Africa (MENA) area.
The matches within the area are divided up between 22 free-to-air video games, whereas the remaining 42 broadcast on a streaming platform known as TOD TV, in all 24 international locations within the MENA area.
Just a bit over an hour forward of the event opener, beIN executives turned conscious that their streaming platform had been blocked in Saudi Arabia, as first reported by the New York Occasions on Friday.
This was regardless of the very fact Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, sat simply two seats away from Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Qatari ruling Emir.
Saudis had been nonetheless in a position to watch their historic 2-1 victory over Argentina on Tuesday as a result of it was one of many matches made accessible free-to-air, whereas Saturday’s fixture in opposition to Poland may also be proven without cost fairly than on the subscription platform.
Nonetheless, Saudis are at the moment unable to look at a lot of World Cup video games, which appears shocking in a rustic that known as a nationwide vacation after beating Argentina of their first match.
Qatar-Saudi relations again in highlight after Saudis blocked from watching World Cup matches
