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AL JAZEERA television's sports coverage was hit by breaks, blank screens and confusion during the opening matches of the football World Cup by what the company claims was sabotage.
Al Jazeera Sport, which has exclusive transmission rights of the event in the Arab world, was deliberately jammed on the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites, said a statement issued late last Friday.
The channel aims to identify and pursue those responsible for this 'act of piracy', managing director Nasser bin Ghanem Al Kholeifi said, while also apologising to the fans.
For its part, the Egyptian Satellite Company (Nilesat) said it was investigating the source of the jamming. "Co-ordination has been made between Nilesat and a specialised international company to identify the source of the jamming," the company said in a statement carried by the official Egyptian MENA news agency.
Nilesat said it would 'take all measures necessary against such an irresponsible act that violates all international laws and norms'.
Furious fans in Bahrain who had paid BD50 for six-months subscription including the World Cup package found match action frozen on screen and some could not tune into the English-language service. They were unable to get through to Al Jazeera Sport's customer service centre because it was constantly engaged.
Dubai daily Emarat Al-Yom ran a headline on Saturday saying 'Al Jazeera Sport spoils the World Cup's joy'.
In the Saudi capital, Riyadh, football fans unleashed a fury of invective against Al Jazeera after outages caused them to miss much of the first half of the South Africa-Mexico game.
Fans watching in a coffee shop moaned as the broadcast went on and off constantly, and other fans turned to Twitter to express their ire.
Others questioned the proposed bid by Qatar, where Al Jazeera is based, to host the World Cup in 2022. The signal returned for most of the second half of the opening game, but was patchy.
In a press release issued by Al Jazeera Sport the company said it would like to 'condemn the actions of those involved in the deliberate attempts to block its signal during its World Cup broadcasts'.
It added: "Despite its considerable efforts to bring the best coverage to the most possible fans across the Middle East and North Africa including 18 free-to-air games from the group stages, Al Jazeera Sport viewers repeatedly lost their signal through the course of the opening fixture. This loss of signal was completely beyond Al Jazeera Sport's control and they share in the frustrations of all those whose enjoyment was spoiled. It what was a deliberate act of sabotage.
"FIFA is supporting Al Jazeera in trying to locate the source of the interference in the broadcast of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. FIFA is appalled by any action to try to stop Al Jazeera's authorised transmissions of the FIFA World Cup as such actions deprive football fans from enjoying the world game in the region. It is not acceptable to FIFA."
If, or when, Al Jazeera is able to tackle the problem, according to Jonty Whitehead, head of Al Jazeera Sport +3, subscribers will be able to tune into a Breakfast Show from 10.30am till 11.30am every morning during the tournament, as well as the live action.
He said: "It will be a refreshing look back at the previous day's action including player of the day, goal of the day, save of the day and interview of the day. We will hear from our reporters in South Africa who will have top class guests to keep us up-to-date with the very latest news from the 2010 World Cup."
The show is being presented by former Sky Sports presenter Hayley McQueen and former Chelsea player Scott Minto. The live match expert panel includes former England managers Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle.
