Former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri has decided not to work as a pundit for the Champions League final.
Samir Nasri has decided not to cover this weekend’s Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, even though he was set to be a pundit for the French channel Canal+.
The 38-year-old, who played three years at Arsenal before controversially moving to Manchester City, was supposed to be at the match in Budapest. But after some PSG fans targeted him with abuse during their semi-final game against Bayern Munich, he chose to step away from the final because of the hurtful comments.
Nasri came up through the Marseille academy, and Marseille are big rivals of PSG. He played over 100 games for Marseille before joining Arsenal in 2008.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Nasri said that PSG fans “insulted his mother” during the game against Bayern. He said, “Yes, it’s true. As a former Marseille player, it’s normal to get hate from Paris fans. Even though they should have been celebrating their team’s win instead. What upset me most was the insults to my mother. That’s not the only reason I’m not going to Budapest, though. I’ve been insulted a lot in stadiums, and it will happen again. If it bothered me that much, I’d stop doing TV and going to matches. It’s better to have Robert Pires, a true Arsenal fan, and David Ginola, a big PSG fan, on the panel instead of someone like me who isn’t neutral.”
Nasri also mentioned that he doesn’t really have a close connection with Arsenal fans anymore. After leaving Arsenal for Manchester City, he said he felt City fans were more passionate. “City supporters are really passionate, kind of like Marseille fans,” he explained. “Arsenal fans are great, but not as passionate since moving from Highbury to the Emirates. City has an amazing atmosphere, which is what every player wants.”
Nasri, who wanted to win trophies, was sometimes criticized for leaving Arsenal for money. But he did win two Premier League titles with City before leaving in 2017. “I don’t regret leaving Arsenal,” he told beIN Sport in 2012. “I won the league, while Arsenal struggled to even finish fourth.”