AFC get experts to combat pirate TV channel

KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are roping in experts to step up their fight against Intellectual Property (IP) theft by pirate channel beoutQ that illegally broadcast last month’s Asian Cup, the confederation said yesterday.

A number of soccer bodies, including Fifa and UEFA, pursued legal action in Saudi Arabia against beoutQ last month, which they say broadcast content whose exclusive TV rights in the Middle East belong to Qatarbased broadcaster beIN Sport.

“In recent months, the AFC have acted as part of a coalition against the pirate broadcasters ‘beoutQ’ and against those who attempted to ‘ambush’ marketing rights at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 held last month,” the AFC said on their website.

“Now to further strengthen the AFC’s stance against IP theft, the Confederation are to engage market leaders in this field with a view to further combating the escalating risk.”

BeoutQ emerged in 2017 after Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar which it accused of supporting terrorism, something Doha denies.

 BEIJING: Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang have completed the signing of Slovenia international midfielder Marek Hamsik from Napoli, the club confirmed via social media.

The 31-year-old arrives in China after more than 11 seasons with the Naples-based side, where he surpassed Diego Maradona’s tally to become the club’s all-time leading scorer.

He joins a Dalian team that is under new management, with South Korea’s Choi Kang Hee recently replacing Bernd Schuster following a fight against relegation last year during their first campaign back in the Chinese top flight.

Hamsik joins former Atletico Madrid duo Yannick Carrasco and Nicolas Gaitan on Dalian’s books.