Riyadh, Shawwal 09, 1439, June 23, 2018, SPA -- The General Commission for Audiovisual Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has refuted the allegations made by the UEFA statement about a pirated channel called "beoutQ" that is claimed to be based in Saudi Arabia. The Commission confirmed that such serious claims and allegations were baseless. The General Commission for Audiovisual Media denounced what has been claimed by the UEFA as an absolute fact. In its statement, the Commission clarified that, as a matter of fact; it is well known that beoutQ receiver sets are available in many countries, including Qatar and in Eastern Europe. The statement stressed that the government of Saudi Arabia; including the Ministry of Trade and Investment, is working tirelessly to combat the activity of beoutQ within the country. Further stating that the UEFA claims suggested that Saudi Arabia doesn’t protect property rights within its territory. The statement stressed that this is not true, and it only aims to defame the Kingdom. The General Commission for Audiovisual Media called on the UEFA to immediately issue an apology and review its statement to rectify this allegation; and to inform media outlets that published its statement. The Commission's statement advised the UEFA not to accept any allegations by beIN Sports network and all its entities without criticism and review. The Commission stressed in its statement that Saudi Arabian Ministry of Media has banned Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in KSA beginning of June 2017. Al Jazeera is Qatar’s principal media arm for supporting terrorism and promoting instability in the region. Al Jazeera provides a media platform for terrorists to propagate their message of violence and extremism. KSA has also banned broadcasts by beIN Sports in Saudi Arabia for the same reason and for violating the Saudi laws; including failure to obtain necessary licenses for broadcasting. Al Jazeera’s response to the ban was to escalate its campaign of defamation against KSA. While broadcasts by beIN Sports have also long been used as vehicles for offensive anti-Saudi invective, beIN Sports has amplified its offensive propaganda during the World Cup 2018 - which is ironic because the World Cup is supposed to be a demonstration how football can bring nations together in harmony. During World Cup, beIN has defamed the Saudi Football Federation, insulted Saudi Arabia and its fans and have politicized the world Cup platform in violation of all rules and codes of conduct. For those reasons; Al Jazeera and its subsidiary beIN, will not broadcast in Saudi Arabia, the Commission stated. The Commission pointed out that the UEFA statement squandered the values that it hopes to achieve by granting regional transmission rights to beIN Sports, and that if the UEFA desires to broadcast in Saudi Arabia, it should find a partner that is totally not connected to the beIN Sports Network and the Al Jazeera Media Network. The General Commission for Audiovisual Media confirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reserves full legal rights and means to follow up on this matter and to follow up other defamatory statements issued by the UEFA. --SPA 02:44 LOCAL TIME 23:44 GMT 0031 www.spa.gov.sa/w706739