The Saudi Football Federation has filed a formal complaint with football’s world governing body FIFA over Qatars beIN Sports network exploitation of the World Cup to broadcast political messages aimed at insulting Saudi Arabia and its leaders, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday. The network owns the exclusive rights to broadcast the 2018 World Cup in the Middle East and North Africa. The Saudi complaint said that the network used its platform to create incitement and spread hatred among fans and people in the region. This reflects the “extension of the excesses of this network” and their continued employment for “political purposes away from sports.” The Saudi federation cited the political media abuses by the channel through its analysts and presenters after the match between Saudi Arabia and Russia in the opening of the World Cup on Friday. Such practices violate FIFA laws, which stress the exclusion of sport from politics. The Saudi Federation called on FIFA to take the necessary and severe sanctions against the Qatari channel to protect the sports system and avoid the exploitation of sport for political goals. It also demanded the withdrawal of exclusive rights granted to the channel to broadcast the World Cup or other competitions to protect the game from distortion.