Al Arabiya reporter harassed on live TV for covering Qatari al-Khelaifi’s trial
Two men harassed an Al Arabiya correspondent during his live coverage of a prominent Qatari businessman’s corruption trial in Switzerland on Tuesday, after having previously harassed him in the same manner last week.
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While reporting live on the latest developments in the trial of Qatari BeIN chief Nasser al-Khelaifi, Al Arabiya’s correspondent Noureddine Fridhi attempted to stop someone from walking into the camera shot.
An unidentified man in sunglasses then walked around the correspondent and held up his phone to show an image of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Fridhi said he saw the same man get into al-Khelaifi’s vehicle last week after one of the trial sessions and that he is a member of al-Khelaifi’s entourage.
A police officer was seen talking to the man, who seemed to be arguing with him, and refused to move away from the television crew.
Another man was also seen taking photos and recording videos of Fridhi while he was reporting live on Al Arabiya.
Al-Khelaifi is on trial in Switzerland’s federal criminal court after prosecutors charged him and former FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke in connection with the awarding of television rights for the World Cup and Confederations Cup.
Al-Khelaifi – the president of Champions League finalist Paris Saint-Germain and chairman of Qatar-owned broadcaster beIN Media Group – is the first Qatari to stand trial almost six years after FIFA asked prosecutors to investigate the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests. He is charged with inciting a former top FIFA official to commit “aggravated criminal mismanagement.”
Read more:
Qatar's BeIN chief Nasser al-Khelaifi to begin trial over FIFA World Cup corruption
Swiss court puts Qatari Nasser al-Khelaifi on trial in football case next week
Swiss to try PSG chief, Qatari BeIN Sports CEO Nasser al-Khelaifi in September
