Saudi Arabia: AFC withdraws exclusivity rights from beIN Media Group, which will file a legal case

"The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is committed to protecting the rights of its commercial and broadcast partners and to tackle attempts to illegally exploit those rights wherever it occurs. To help achieve this aim, the AFC will stream the matches involving Saudi Arabia teams played in Saudi Arabia in AFC Competitions on its geo-blocked digital channels AFC Champions League Facebook Live and AFC YouTube.It also fulfils the AFC's commitment to promote its competitions for the benefit of all our stakeholders and football in Asia," stated the AFC on 12/03/2019.

"Asian Football Confederation surrenders to illegal Saudi pressure on its official broadcaster as Confederation unilaterally breaches beIN’s multi-million dollar regional rights deal. In response to the extraordinary announcement by the AFC this morning that it will live-stream matches featuring Saudi Arabian clubs in the AFC Asian Champions League for free into Saudi Arabia on the AFC’s own digital channels, beIN is set to launch a major international legal dispute against the Confederation for material breach of its…