beIN SPORTS to deliver unprecedented month of football with live coverage of 14 major finals
Fourteen football finals – one unmissable month. beIN SPORTS, the leading sports broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is airing an unprecedented feast of live football action this May, cementing its position as home to both the beautiful game and the sport's biggest and best tournaments around the globe.
From the EFL Championship play-off – widely accepted to be the world's most valuable football match – to men's and women's continental deciders across Europe, Africa, and Asia, beIN's unrivalled programming is set to provide a celebration of football like no other this May. With the broadcaster delivering a range of live studio coverage, pre- and post-match analysis from the likes of Arsene Wenger, Marcel Desailly, Ruud Gullit, and Mohamed Aboutrika, and bilingual – often trilingual – commentary, beIN SPORTS is raising the game when it comes to showpiece football this season.
The region's leading sports network launched its 'Month of Finals' last Saturday with a nervy French Women's Cup final in which Paris FC triumphed over PSG on penalties in Calais.
This was followed by live coverage in Arabic and English of Al Ahli Saudi's historic 2-0 victory over Kawasaki in Asia's AFC Champions League Elite final in Jeddah. Next up is the Qatar Cup final on 10 May, where league champions Al Sadd face off against runners-up Al Duhail in what promises to be another thrilling encounter.
The focus now moves west, with the first leg of Africa's CAF Confederation Cup final taking place on 17 May in Morocco between the country's two-time winners RS Berkane and Tanzania's history-makers Simba SC. The return leg in Dar es Salaam is scheduled for 25 May with beIN providing Arabic studio coverage for both ties, as well as commentary in Arabic, English, and French.
Also on 17 May, Manchester City will take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley as London club Palace seek a first major trophy in their 119-year history. beIN will deliver full Arabic and English studio coverage, with additional French commentary, while the following day brings Asia's AFC Champions League Two final in which UAE side Sharjah FC face Lion City Sailors. Lion City are the first Singaporean side to reach a continental Asian final after their 6-1 semi-final defeat to Hiroshima became a 3-0 victory by forfeit when their opponents were found to have fielded an ineligible player.
In the reformatted UEFA Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday 21 May, hosts Athletic Club or European giants Manchester United will take on Norway's Bodo/Glimt or English side Tottenham Hotspur. With a place in next season's UEFA Champions League on the line, all four will be well aware of the financial fall-out of lifting the coveted trophy.
Saturday 24 May brings with it not one but six finals in the form of Africa' s CAF Champions League first leg, the French Cup final between PSG and Reims, Qatar's Amir Cup final, Asia's AFC Women's Champions League final, Europe's UEFA Women's Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona, and the lucrative EFL Championship Play-off final, which is worth an unparallelled US$470m to the winners in TV deals, sponsorship, and additional revenue streams.
'No matter where you go in the world – whether it's Calais or Qatar – football is so popular,' said Desailly, who finished his playing career after having won the UEFA Champions League with Marseille and AC Milan.
'This month provides a host of players with the chance to play in a final, to win a trophy, and become a legend at their club. I am very proud to be working with beIN as they bring a 'Month of Finals' to the Middle East and North Africa – a region I know loves football. I can't wait to share some special moments with fans over the next few weeks.'
Closing out the month, the UEFA Europa Conference League final on Wednesday 28 May pits either Chelsea or Djurgarden against Real Betis or Fiorentina in Wroclaw, Poland, while the second-most watched football competition in world football – the UEFA Champions League – culminates on Saturday 31 May with PSG or Arsenal taking on Inter Milan or Barcelona at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Ruud Gullit, another two-time European Cup winner with Milan between 1988-90, added: 'This month promises to produce some unforgettable moments in world football and I'm delighted to be involved as part of beIN's team of analysts and special guests. The UEFA competitions will always hold a special place in my heart – winning the European Cup remains one of my career highlights – but I am also excited for the FA Cup, which is a magical competition that I won both as a player and manager.'
Don't miss a moment of football's biggest month. Catch every final live and exclusive on beIN SPORTS. Subscribe now at www.bein.com/subscribe.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
21 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
PSG vs Inter: All to know about the UEFA Champions League final
What: UEFA Champions League final When: Saturday, May 31, 9pm (19:00 GMT) Where: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany Who: Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs Inter Milan (Italy) How to follow our coverage: We'll have all the build-up from 5pm (15:00 GMT) on Al Jazeera Sport. The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League season concludes at the dazzling Allianz Arena in Munich as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) meet three-time champions Inter Milan in the final of Europe's premier club competition. PSG will be appearing in just their second Champions League final, having lost their first to German side Bayern Munich in 2020. For PSG manager, Luis Enrique, it is just the latest chapter in his record of climbing to new highs – first from release by Real Madrid, as a youngster, and then by winning the 2015 title treble at Barcelona as a coach, the club where he also made his name as a player. PSG, backed by owners Qatar Sports Investments, booked their place in the Champions League final earlier in May. The Paris-based side beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Parc des Princes, winning their semifinal tie with a 3-1 aggregate scoreline. Inter Milan beat Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate, with the second leg in Italy going to extra time despite the Spanish club leading in injury time in normal time. Inter Milan finished second in Serie A in a dramatic final round showdown with Napoli, who began the final day with a one point advantage. Once Napoli won their final game against Cagliari to seal the league title, Inter's title charge was over, despite a hard-fought 2-0 win against Como. PSG were dominant in the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, wrapping up the domestic title by an incredible 19 points – and that was despite slacking off towards the end of the season with three straight winless matches to end their campaign. Their last outing, however, was the French Cup final, which resulted in a 3-0 win against Reims last Saturday. PSG's gifted French forward, Ousmane Dembele, overcame a slow start to the season to reel off one of the greatest offensive performances in Europe this season. In 50 appearances this season, the 27-year-old Dembele scored 32 goals – and he was huge part of an incredible 30-match unbeaten league run by PSG. Inter Milan's French international Marcus Thuram has netted 18 goals in 52 appearances this season. Son of Lilian Thuram, a legendary French World Cup winner, Marcus was born in Italy, where his father was representing Parma at the time. The 27-year-old has scored twice for France in 29 appearances for his country, and has proved a fine foil for Inter's top scorer this season, Lautaro Martinez. The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League final will take place at the Munich Football Arena. The 75,000 seat venue, better known as Allianz Arena, is the home of current German Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich. It's the first time a German venue has held the Champions League final since 2012. This will be the first time that Inter and PSG meet in a competitive fixture. The teams last played in a preseason friendly on August 1, 2023 at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. Inter won the contest 2-1 with Stefano Sensi scoring the game-winner in the 83rd minute. Current PSG defender Achraf Hakimi last played for Inter Milan in the 2020-21 season. The Spanish-born speedy right-back, widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, was a casualty of Inter's huge cost-cutting drive caused, in large part, by the financial debts attributed to the COVID-19 shutdown period. Hakimi appeared in 37 matches for the Italian giants, scoring seven goals and racking up eight assists as Inter won their first domestic league title since 2010. Out: None Doubtful: None Enrique has a fully fit squad to choose from, no doubt boosted by the fact that PSG wrapped up the French top flight with six games to spare – thereafter managing the players' workloads in the run-up to the final. Out: None Doubtful: Bisseck (knee), Pavard (ankle), Zielinski (muscular) Inter pushed champions Napoli to the wire in Serie A – which concluded last Friday – so will inevitably feel heavier in the legs. Inter fullback Benjamin Pavard and striker Lautaro Martinez are both expected to be fully fit, with the latter having returned to the bench in recent matches. 'My wish is to have everyone available on Saturday evening,' Inzaghi said. 'We're going to approach the final in the best possible way.' PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola Inter Milan: Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Thuram PSG (all competitions, most recent first): W-W-W-W-L Inter Milan (all competitions, most recent first): W-D-W-W-W Luis Enrique, PSG manager: 'It's Inter Milan's second final in three years. They're ready. They've not made too many changes to their side. It's a team that dominates from set pieces. It's up to us to go into the final in the right frame of mind. 'We've grown a lot this season and the players have progressed a lot. I think the strength of the team is the most important thing. You learn something every day after many years of experience as a coach, and I'm improving all the time with this group.' Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan manager: 'The players did something extraordinary. We played four amazing games against two world-class teams like Bayern and Barcelona. It was great to celebrate this achievement [reaching the final] here with our fans.'
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Pavard says Inter Milan prepared to ‘suffer to win' Champions League
PA Media/dpa London Inter Milan's French defender Benjamin Pavard insists they have the experience to cope with any 'suffering' Paris Saint-Germain may inflict on them in the Champions League final. PSG have been the most impressive attacking team in the competition since the start of the knockout stage, while Inter's path to the Allianz Arena - up until their crazy semi-final encounter with Barcelona - has been built on being defensively strong. It is why Pavard, a former Bayern Munich player, is confident they can hold back their opponents' attacking threat. 'We are not a team of stars, but we know how to do everything together, we know how to suffer together,' he told L'Equipe. 'It is clear that we do not like suffering, but as long as the results arrive. 'There are moments when we'll suffer, but I am not have experienced players who are accustomed to these situations. 'The most important thing is not to concede goals and sometimes you have to know how to drop back and suffer to win.' Inter's last trip to the final in 2023 saw them lose to Manchester City and many of the players who were in that side are returning for another, possibly last, chance of glory. 'Many players want revenge after the final we lost against Manchester City. That loss taught them a lot; they've become even stronger since then,' he added. 'We can achieve something extraordinary. It's not the time to think about it, but for some, this could be the last big chance.' Pavard left Lille in 2016 and, despite winning the World Cup with France, playing more than 100 matches for Bayern - winning the Bundesliga four times - and winning the Serie A title in 2023, he believes he is not that famous in his homeland. 'In my homeland perhaps I lack a bit of recognition but I have time, I am only 29 years old,' he said. 'In Italy I really felt the affection of the fans, of the club. It is an environment in which I feel very good. 'My career is not over, and I hope that my trophies speak for me.'
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Who is Luis Enrique, the man behind PSG's run to Champions League final?
When Luis Enrique leads his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) team out to play Inter Milan in Saturday's UEFA Champions League final, the coach will be seeking to win the European continent's top prize for the first time for the French side and reverse years of fan frustration at the Parc des Princes. This is the club which, until recently, boasted superstar players the caliber of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr, but failed to win any European silverware since the third-tier UEFA Intertoto Cup way back in 2001. Since his arrival in 2023, Enrique has changed PSG radically, overseeing the high-profile exits of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, and transitioning from a team of ageing galacticos into one of the most exciting attacking sides in Europe. Whether Enrique's method is the best may ultimately be judged by what happens in the Champions League final in Munich. Away from events on the pitch, who is the real Luis Enrique who has presided over this radical transformation at PSG? The 55-year-old began his football career in 1988, playing in the midfield for his local side, Sporting Gijon, a team in the Spanish Segunda Division. In 1991 he was signed by mega club Real Madrid where he helped Los Blancos win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Super Cup. On an individual level, Enrique did not perform up to expectations, which was mostly attributed to playing out of position on the wing and in more defensive roles. Bitter rivals FC Barcelona snapped up an out-of-form Enrique in 1996, where he reverted to his favoured central midfield role. It paid dividends for the Catalan giants and Enrique went on to win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup trophies with Barca. After retiring as a player in 2004, he went into management, reportedly at the invitation of current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Enrique started his coaching career at FC Barcelona 'B', before moving to AS Roma in Italy's Serie A for the 2011-2012 season. The Spaniard was sacked at the end of the season, with a year still remaining on his contract, after Roma finished a disappointing seventh in the premier domestic competition. His next move was to Spanish La Liga side Celta Vigo – but he also departed from that club after just one year. It was then that Enrique received his career-altering managerial opportunity, returning to Barcelona as manager of the first team. His four-year reign at the Nou Camp was crowned by Barca's victory in the Champions League final in 2015 against Juventus, with the 'Big-3' of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar leading the attacking line, completing a rare treble for the club: Spanish League (La Liga), Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) and European (Champions League) titles. If PSG win the Champions League final on Saturday, Enrique will make history be becoming the only man to ever achieve a treble on two occasions. When Enrique was named team coach of Spain in 2018, he entered a new world of international football. Before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Spain was fancied as possible winners. However, after a crushing round of 16 loss to underdogs Morocco, Enrique announced his resignation from the national side. Incessant media speculation linked Enrique's next managerial job with a move to England's Premier League. He was interviewed by Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – but it was PSG, to the surprise of many, who secured his signature. Perhaps it was the unique challenge of winning the Champions League with one of only two European super clubs never to have achieved the milestone – Arsenal being the other – which made him head to Paris. Or perhaps it was a desire to show off his vision of attacking football by rebuilding a club his way. A recent three-part documentary, produced by Zoom Sport Films, provided an intimate portrait of the coach who allowed the cameras into his private life for the first time, despite Enrique's well-known animosity towards the media. No Teneis Ni P*** Idea (You Don't Have Any F****** Idea) reveals a driven man who is as passionate about football as his family – and keeping fit. Viewers see Enrique arriving at PSG speaking only a few words of French. Nevertheless, he imposes his character on the club from the start. Known by his nickname, Lucho, Enrique brings a Spanish-speaking coaching staff with him and addresses the players in his own language, with the aid of a French translator. As relations with his biggest star – Mbappe – appear to worsen, viewers are treated to Enrique giving the star player what former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson used to call the 'hairdryer treatment', or a huge telling off. But, as this is France, Enrique calls it 'C'est Catastrophique (It's catastrophic)' on a big presentation screen to the striker. The Spaniard is referring to Mbappe's apparent refusal to defend at all after PSG were beaten 2-3 at home by Barcelona in the quarterfinal of the Champions League in April last year. Despite the manager-star player bust-up, PSG would move on to the semifinals, where they were ultimately beaten by Borussia Dortmund. A year on, Enrique's post-match comments may turn out to be prophetic: 'Now it's a sad moment but you have to accept sometimes sport is that way. We have to try to create something special next year and win it.' Curiously for a football manager, he spends much of his day studying his team on a series of computer screens. This is interspersed with workouts. 'You must move every half an hour,' he says. In the documentary, Enrique is seen, in his plush Parisian house, regularly doing various strenuous exercises or cycling. At the PSG training camp, he mixes team talks with plunges into his ice pool. It pays off, as the manager is fit. But when he walks around the pitch, it is always barefoot as he believes in 'grounding' or getting back in touch with nature. The documentary mixes moments from Enrique's illustrious career, from the Real Madrid and Barca days, as well as the Spain role – the good and the bad. Not surprisingly, the lowest point is when Morocco upsets Spain and knocks the bookmaker's favourite out of the World Cup. Away from football, we also see a tender side to Lucho when the documentary touches on his close relationship with his youngest daughter, Xana, who died at the age of nine from osteosarcoma, a bone tumour, in 2019. Enrique set up a foundation in her name with his wife, Elena Cullell, to try to help other families who are stricken by the same condition. Graham Hunter, a producer on the documentary and a football journalist who is friends with Enrique, described his personality as 'demanding and inspirational'. 'As a footballer, he was exceptional. A Spanish Roy Keane. His ability to play everywhere on the pitch slightly cut how good he was because managers used him all over the pitch. He was trophy-laden at Madrid and Barca,' he says. 'He did not want to be a coach originally. [He] Accepted an invitation from Pep [Guardiola] I think to coach Barca B. Although he clashed a little bit with Messi and Luis Suarez but that [2015] Champions League victory, it was unbelievable. They won the treble.' Hunter believes Enrique changed the playing style of the Spain team during his managerial tenure, introducing young talent like Pedri. 'He built what has become a winning franchise and he carries a huge amount of credit to him,' he said. Hunter says Enrique did not just go to PSG to win the Champions League. 'He went to PSG to imprint his brand of football and to convince the players, the fans that it was a brilliant, modern way to play football and to do that, you have to win the Champions League. For him, he is as interested in how people see his football as attacking and inspirational as winning trophies.'
