The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) has denied an allegation, made by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), claiming that the SAT had violated the “Must Carry” rule regarding live broadcasts of World Cup 2022 in the country.

The NBTC ruled unanimously on Thursday to demand the return of the 600 million baht that it gave to the SAT for the purchase of World Cup 2022 broadcast rights from FIFA, after it was discovered that the SAT had allegedly not complied with the “Must Carry” rule, because audiences on IPTV platforms were denied access to the broadcasts. The NBTC also threatened to take the case to the Administrative Court.

SAT Governor Kongsak Yodmanee said today (Friday) that he is waiting for a formal letter from the NBTC and he will respond to every issue raised, especially the allegation that it breached the “Must Carry” rule.

He maintains that the SAT is fully aware of the rule and has strictly complied with it and other related NBTC regulations.

The 600 million baht fund, which came from the NBTC’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Research and Development Fund, is just a portion of the 1.6 billion baht broadcast rights fees charged by FIFA for Thailand.  The rest of the money came from private corporations.