Richard Keys responds as beIN Sports departure confirmed

Martin Macdonald

• 10 Feb 2026 08:01 CST
• 2 min read

Nieuws

Richard Keys has spoken for the first time since his departure from beIN Sports coverage was confirmed.

On 4 February, an exclusive from The Athletic reported that Keys and presenting partner Andy Gray will leave beIN Sports coverage at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The pair's respective contracts expire at the conclusion of the season and although there has reportedly been no falling out between any of the parties, the deals will not be renewed.

Keys and Gray became synonymous with Premier League coverage over the first two decades of the competition before they left Sky Sports in 2011. Gray was sacked after making sexist comments about assistant referee Sian Massey and Keys subsequently resigned after tapes were released of him making similar comments.

Since 2014, Keys and Gray have presented beIn Sports coverage of the Premier League in Qatar, which is the primary league broadcaster for Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.

The Athletic reports that: "The motivation for a change is multi-faceted, with both Keys and Gray having entered or being close to their seventies, while the nature of match analysis is fast-changing and the appetite for conventional pre-match and post-match television shows is diminishing amid the rise of social media, podcasts, YouTubers and fan channels."

A week since the news broke, Keys has now broken his silence via his blog.

"Before I go this week I’d like to wish my friend and former colleague Dr Tareq Hamad Al-Jalahma all the very best in his new life as a Minister of State for Youth and Sports in Kuwait.

"It was a pleasure getting to know Tareq these past 13 years. Like me he’s decided it’s time to move on. Good luck my friend.

"There has been no fall out between myself and beINSPORTS. I’ve loved every minute of my time in Qatar - a country that means the world to me. I have a deep affection for it, but it’s time for me to move on. I’m not retiring - simply changing course. There’s a whole lot more to come yet."

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store