{"id":464546,"date":"2026-05-28T15:09:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/464546\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T15:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:09:18","slug":"former-arsenal-man-quits-psg-final-coverage-after-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/464546\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Arsenal man quits PSG final coverage after backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Samir Nasri<\/a> has withdrawn from his Canal+ punditry role for Arsenal<\/a>\u2019s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain<\/a> in Budapest on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The former Arsenal midfielder had been due to work on French television coverage of the final, but has now stepped away from the assignment after recent abuse from PSG supporters.<\/p>\n

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Nasri said the personal nature of the abuse bothered him, while also explaining that Robert Pires and David Ginola were better suited to the panel for a final involving their former clubs.<\/p>\n

Why Samir Nasri has stepped away from Arsenal v PSG coverage\"Photo<\/p>\n

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt \u2013 AMA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Canal+ had finalised its coverage plans<\/a> for Saturday\u2019s final, with Nasri set to feature as part of its coverage.<\/p>\n

But the 38-year-old has withdrawn from the role after being targeted by PSG fans during their semi-final against Bayern Munich<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nasri told L\u2019Equipe that he is used to criticism as a former Marseille player, but said things went too far when supporters brought his family into it.<\/p>\n

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He said: \u201cWhat bothered me was that they insulted my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, he also made clear that the abuse was not the reason he would not travel to Budapest for the final.<\/p>\n

Nasri explains why Pires and Ginola make more sense for the panel<\/p>\n

Nasri said Robert Pires and David Ginola were better suited to the panel because of their stronger emotional links to the two clubs.<\/p>\n

He described Pires as a committed Arsenal figure and Ginola as a committed PSG figure, while presenting himself as a more neutral presence despite his Arsenal past.<\/p>\n

Nasri\u2019s connection to Arsenal is well-known, but it is not without complications.<\/p>\n

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The midfielder made 125 appearances for Arsenal between 2008 and 2011 before leaving for Manchester City<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Marseille connection adds context to PSG fan reaction<\/p>\n

The tension with PSG fans is not just about his Arsenal past.<\/p>\n

Nasri came through Marseille\u2019s academy and played 166 matches for the club before moving to north London.<\/p>\n

Marseille and PSG are fierce rivals, and that history gives important context to the hostility he has faced before the final.<\/p>\n

While his time at Arsenal makes the story relevant in England, his Marseille roots are the clearer source of tension with PSG supporters.<\/p>\n

Arsenal and PSG head into Budapest with another subplot<\/p>\n

The final itself remains the main event, with PSG facing Arsenal in the Champions League showpiece at the Puskas Arena.<\/p>\n

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ESPN also lists the final as taking place in Budapest on Saturday, adding to the current match details around the fixture.<\/p>\n

Nasri will no longer be part of the Canal+ coverage, and his explanation has made clear that the decision is tied to both recent abuse and the make-up of the panel.<\/p>\n

For Arsenal and PSG, it adds another broadcast subplot before a final that already carries major sporting weight.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Samir Nasri has withdrawn from his Canal+ punditry role for Arsenal\u2019s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464547,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4026,14532,35498,201359,216131,216130,85,46,2617,1821,216129,216128,105],"class_list":["post-464546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-arsenal","tag-bayern-munich","tag-budapest","tag-champions-league-final","tag-coverage-plans","tag-david-ginola","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-manchester-city","tag-paris-saint-germain","tag-robert-pires","tag-samir-nasri","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}