The Saudi Arabian government has permanently barred the English Premier League's official Middle East broadcasters from operating in the country.
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The broadcaster was initially blocked in Saudi Arabia under a boycott imposed when Riyadh and its allies severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017 over Doha's alleged support of terrorism, a charge Qatar denies.
An announcement from the Saudi General Authority for Competition (GAC) stated that Qatar-based beIN SPORTS, which is the official Premier League rights holder for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has had its licence to broadcast cancelled and has been fined the equivalent of STG 2.1m ($A3.8 m).
It means there is currently no legitimate way to watch EPL in a country whose public investment fund is trying to take over one of the league's clubs - Newcastle United
The proposed APS300m ($A541 m) buyout remains under consideration by the league. beIN's deal runs to the end of the 2021-22 season.
The GAC stated beIN had "abused its dominant position through several monopolistic practices" which violated competition law in the country.
beIN said in a statement: "The decision is nonsensical on every single level, banning beIN for packaging its rights in the standard way that sports and entertainment broadcasters all around the world do, and indeed as other broadcasters active in the Saudi market also do.
"Moreover, the very idea that permanently banning a leading competitor from a market could in any way promote competition is plainly absurd.
"We would also question - as we have for three years - how Saudi citizens can watch Premier League matches legally in Saudi Arabia with this 'permanent' ban on the Premier League's licensed broadcaster. Or indeed how Saudi citizens can legally watch most major international sport, and how this fits into Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision."
Australian Associated Press