Football is the global pastime. For billions of people — rich and poor — the World Cup is a festival of which they want to be part. And they should have free access to its matches and activities.
However, the world resigned itself to the commercialisation of the cup and fans didn't mind paying, albeit reluctantly, to watch their favourite teams compete for the most coveted trophy in the world of sport. But adding insult to injury, millions of fans in the Arab world watching the opening ceremony and matches on Al Jazeera Sports on Friday and Saturday were shocked by the frequent interruptions that marred their viewing, with the picture disappearing and reappearing, seemingly according to a pattern dictated by technical issues.
Al Jazeera might want to blame the awful glitch on "politically-motivated sabotage".
The fans would have tolerated it if their viewing was free. But they paid good money to watch the games, only to find themselves staring at blank screens. Sabotage or not, Al Jazeera has a responsibility to rectify this and let people enjoy the paid-for fun.
It is a fact that the task is challenging for Al Jazeera. But the fans only want to enjoy the game and cheer their favourite teams. It is simple and should have been free anyway.
