UAE rugby fans seek answers from Al Jazeera over Ireland v Wales gaffe

UAE-based rugby supporters of Ireland and Wales were left bewildered yesterday when they tuned in to Al Jazeera Sports +3 to watch the teams’ opening clash of the Six Nations championship only to find repeats of Italian football fixtures played earlier in the day.

Despite having advertised coverage to start at 6pm UAE time, one hour before kickoff, supporters were left searching through channels to try and find alternative sources for the game as AC Milan’s goalless draw with Napoli was screened instead.

Many of the fans had specifically upgraded their cable TV packages that week to include Al Jazeera Sports to catch the newly-acquired rugby rights.

The opening game for both sides in the 2012 RBS Six Nations was an eagerly awaited one, repeating the memorable match-up in the World Cup quarter final last October, when Wales produced a performance of guts and verve to eliminate the Irish 22-10 in Wellington.

McGettigans Irish Bar in the Bonnington Towers, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, was typically busy with rugby fans from Ireland, Wales, England and beyond, but the mood quickly dampened as it became clear the Six Nations game wasn't being broadcast.

McGettigans issued an apology to frustrated fans this morning believing a "technical glitch" at their end was to blame for the issue, before it became apparent that it was in fact Al Jazeera's fault.

"It was the same situation across the UAE as fans gathered in popular spots such as Fibber McGees and The Stables to watch the game," said fan Andy Evans, who was in the latter. "It was a real disappointment, to be honest. The fact that there was no announcement made it even worse as we had no time to find another way to watch it."

Celia Slack, who plays for local ladies team Dubai Hurricanes, was also left outraged after not being able to watch the match. "I hope Al Jazeera are embarrassed over last night’s fiasco,” she said. “I know there were a lot of seriously hacked off people where I was – it was all over Facebook in a matter of minutes. I’d say Al Jazeera have some serious PR work to do now."

For the many bars around the UAE, like McGettigans, that generate significant custom from such big games, it throws their plans for the rest of the Six Nations Championship into chaos.

"We had over 500 people in for the game," explains McGettigans Entertainment Manager, John Hayes, "and needless to say people were very annoyed. We were calling Al Jazeera all the way up to kick off and they told us they'd be showing it, only to then come back and say they wouldn't!

"There were a lot of very angry people, and we have since been contacted by people on Facebook today expressing their displeasure," he said. "We've asked Al Jazeera if they'll be showing the rest of the games from the tournament and we're optimistic they will."

Al Jazeera, who has acquired the rights to show the Six Nations 2011 games having previously been broadcast in the UAE by OSN Network, were unavailable for comment when contacted by Sport360°.