DUBAI: BeIN Sports has threatened legal action against the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after the Qatari broadcaster’s monopoly of broadcasting competition matches in Saudi Arabia was broken up. The decision, which ended BeIN’s sole control of AFC’s Champions League matches in Saudi Arabia, was hinged on communications and legal grounds, including the Qatari company’s “illegal broadcasting” and “systemic violations it committed against the Kingdom’s regulations.” The Kingdom, through the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF), has described the decision as “just” and has appealed to “appealed to all international federations to take similar measures and decisions that would maintain seamless transmission” of football games and “help desist all from using the game for political purposes.” Saudi Arabia has earlier complained to AFC that BeIN has politicized its coverage of football games because of the ongoing feud between Qatar and the Anti-Terror Quartet of Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. BeIN Sports’ coverage of the opening game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where Saudi Arabia lost to the host country, has particularly drawn sharp criticisms after the broadcaster’s host went to criticize Saudi Arabian politics rather than its football performance. SAFF, in a statement, has called on other Arab federations to undertake similar steps to ensure that “sports are in conformity with all norms, laws and principles of competition while also combating monopoly” and expressed its willingness to work with rights holders and authorities so fans could continue to watch the games being broadcast, “without sports being a casualty.”