World Cup 2022: Gary Neville, John Terry and Arsene Wenger lead beIN SPORTS’ all-star pundit cast

Ex-England stars Gary Neville and John Terry will lead a star-studded punditry team for beIN SPORTS at the World Cup in Qatar – with 2,000 international caps shared among the broadcaster’s all-star panel. 

But the broadcaster is facing criticism for selecting former Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika given his strong views on homosexuality. 

A clip of Aboutrika, who is expected to only feature on their Middle East and North Africa coverage (MENA), on beIN showed him saying that homosexuality is against human nature.

He went on to criticise the Premier League for its Rainbow Laces campaign – where players change their laces between November 27 and December 2 to show support to the LGBTQ community.  

Assembling a pundit line-up much like a starting XI, Neville and Terry form part of a defence that also includes ex-Chelsea star Marcel Desailly and former Tunisian international Karim Haggui.

Former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel will be the resident goalkeeping expert. 

Kaka, the 2007 Ballon d’Or winner and 2002 World Cup winner, is among the star-studded midfield cast which also includes Ruud Gullit, Lothar Matthaus and Jason McAteer.

Ex-Spain star David Villa and Argentina icon Gabriel Batistuta are among the strikers to sign up for beIN’s punditry team.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, a staple of beIN’s coverage on the Premier League, will provide a managerial perspective, with Ghana assistant coach George Boateng also signed up for the tournament.

 

 

Richard Keys and Andy Gray, infamously axed by Sky, are among the presenters involved. 

Neville, in particular, faced criticism for his decision to work with beIN SPORTS for the tournament, where he will also work for ITV.

Speaking to Sportsmail, he defended his choice and said he will have no issue speaking his mind on difficult issues during beIN SPORTS coverage. 

‘When I highlight these issues, I can do so from a position whereby if I am covering eight games on beIN in a World Cup, and those issues come up or there’s an incident outside the stadium, I will highlight them, as I will on ITV, as I will on my own channels. I will never shy away from it,’ he said. 

‘With the greatest show on earth just weeks away, beIN SPORTS is delighted to have brought together the greatest and most diverse broadcast team ever assembled, who will proudly present the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 across 25 countries worldwide,’ Mohammed Al-Bader, Managing Director of beIN’s MENA (Middle East and North Africa) channels said.

Other pundits include former England international Lianne Sanderson and ex-Italy star Alessandro del Piero.

Former United States internationals Jermaine Jones and Christopher Sullivan are involved, as is former Canada women’s midfielder Kaylyn Kyle.  

The World Cup gets underway on November 20 with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador in Group A.

All 64 matches will be shown across seven beIN SPORTS channels and there will also be a dedicated 24-hour channel for World Cup coverage.