Richard Keys and Andy Gray to Depart beIN Sports After Current Premier League Season

Veteran English football commentators Richard Keys and Andy Gray are expected to conclude their tenure with Qatar-based broadcaster beIN Sports at the end of the ongoing Premier League season.

Sources familiar with the situation, speaking anonymously as they were not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed that the duo's current contracts expire this season, and no extension is anticipated, despite no apparent discord between the parties.

Keys, aged 68, and Gray, 70, who is a former Scotland international forward, have been key figures in beIN Sports' English-language coverage of the Premier League since 2013, covering regions including Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Their journey to the Middle East followed a high-profile fallout in British television in 2011. Previously the prominent faces of Sky Sports' football coverage during the Premier League's formative years since its inception in 1992, their careers were abruptly halted after Gray's sexist remarks about assistant referee Sian Massey led to his sacking. Keys resigned amid the ensuing scandal, with then-Sky managing director Barney Francis labeling the comments "inexcusable."

Keys later apologized to Massey via phone, though he has maintained he was "set-up" and claimed "dark forces" were at play. The pair found renewed success in the Middle East, collaborating with notable former Premier League figures such as Arsène Wenger, David Moyes, Nigel de Jong, and Jason McAteer.

Additionally, Keys and Gray are not currently planned to present beIN's coverage of the upcoming FIFA World Cup this summer, unlike their roles in the 2022 tournament hosted in Qatar. Sources note that no final decisions have been communicated on this matter.

The decision to part ways stems from multiple factors. Both presenters are approaching or have entered their 70s, and the landscape of football analysis is evolving rapidly. Traditional pre- and post-match TV shows are waning in popularity, overshadowed by the growth of social media, podcasts, YouTube creators, and fan-driven channels.

beIN Sports was approached for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.