Samir Nasri steps down from Champions League final coverage amid fears of more ‘mum insults’

Samir Nasri will not feature in the Champions League coverage for French broadcaster Canal+.

Nasri was due to be on punditry duties for Saturday’s Champions League final between his former club Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

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However, the midfielder won’t appear after being subjected to taunts from PSG supporters while covering the second leg of their semi-final win against Bayern Munich.

Nasri, who played for PSG’s arch rivals Marseille, revealed the Parisian supporters got rather personal.

Why has Nasri withdrawn from the Champions League final broadcast?

“When I was a player, I got insulted too, even on opposing pitches,” Nasri told French publication L’Equipe.

“What bothered me was that they insulted my mother, even though, well, you’ve qualified for a final, you celebrate with your players.

“It’s not the first time I’ve been insulted in a stadium and it certainly won’t be the last.

“And if I let it get to me, I’d quit TV and I’d quit going to matches.”

Nasri added that there were two pundits better suited for the occasion, even though he has ties to the Gunners having spent three seasons with the club before joining Manchester City in 2011 in controversial circumstances.

“It’s PSG-Arsenal, it’s better to have [Invincibles winner] Robert Pires, who’s a diehard Gunners fan, and David Ginola, who’s a diehard PSG fan, than someone neutral, like me, on set,” Nasri said.

“Arsenal is also my former club, but I don’t have an extraordinary relationship with its fans.”

Nasri, not ‘Cashri’

Following his £25m transfer to City, Nasri was persistently accused by Arsenal supporters of being money-hungry.

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In an interview with The Telegraph in 2014, the 39-year-old admitted ‘economically I have a better life’ at City than what he had with the Gunners.

However, he maintained that silverware was the overriding ambition.

Nasri’s switch to City ultimately proved to be a fruitful move on the trophy front as he went on to win two Premier League titles and the League Cup.

Even though Nasri’s controversial exit was more than a decade ago, it appeared some Arsenal fans haven’t forgiven him as evidenced by their behaviour towards the Frenchman while he was on punditry duties at the Emirates in October 2023.

This year’s final also marks the second in a row that Nasri has missed.

Given his deep ties to Marseille, where he came through their academy before making his senior debut in September 2004, some suspected Nasri couldn’t bear to witness PSG’s maiden European crown in person.

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But Nasri quickly shut down the notion and instead pointed to a brutal injury that would have made things extremely difficult.

“Unfortunately just before the final, I tore my calf muscle,” Nasri said.

“I was coaching in the Kings League. I felt like I was 20 again, training with the players, and I got injured.

“I was on crutches and I was told that the setup in Munich involved climbing stairs and walking a lot. So I simply couldn’t make the trip.”

Different kick-off time for the Champions League final

Rather than the 8pm time that fans have become used to, UEFA has moved it to 5pm.

The governing body says this is to improve the matchday experience for fans.

The game, though, will also be on talkSPORT, online and on the app, while there will also be a live blog on talkSPORT.com.