Sports

Man City fans pay tribute to Pep Guardiola: ‘Forever our boss’

I’m utterly devastated and have already shed tears,” says Manchester City fan Sophie Hope. There is a feeling of loss around the Etihad Stadium, a bereavement that everyone knew was coming but it does not make it any easier to take. The ownership may disagree but this is the club that Pep Guardiola built over the past 10 years and everyone in attendance against Aston Villa wanted to pay their respects.

This has been a glorious epoch for the club, one that has seen complete and utter misery in modern times. Relegation to the third tier at Stoke, being regularly pummelled by Manchester United and York City away are long forgotten. The transformation was under way before Guardiola arrived a decade ago and everything has been geared towards his demands and needs. Ilkay Gündogan, Ederson and Fernandinho were back as City’s greatest hits were played.

“To say City is part of my DNA is not overstating it,” Hope says. “I feel I need to try and remember that it’s football but it’s also not just football, it’s family, it’s special and Pep has brought such a huge level of enjoyment, excitement, joy and pride to our club.

“I’ve been going to City for 36 years and our next manager will be the first my dad won’t have known, he died in 2021. I have to remind myself of all the good times. The happiness Pep has brought to me, my life, to Manchester will never be replicated or forgotten.”

Guardiola created a magical mystical tour for City, taking the masses on triumphant tours to Real Madrid and a plethora of other of Europe’s most historical venues, leaving having not just won but shown complete dominance. None will be more memorable than Istanbul, City’s first Champions League trophy, won thanks to Rodri on an edgy night against Inter.

“Pep took us into a footballing galaxy that only a handful of teams in world football will ever experience,” Andy Hooper says. “I think back to watching hundreds of games at Maine Road with my grandad. Together we never even reached a major semi-final, but did witness us dropping to League One. He always told me we’d be back one day, and I believed him. Fast forward to the pinnacle of the Pep era: taking my seven-year-old lad to Istanbul to watch us complete the treble.

“Pep’s not just been our manager he’s all of us, you can tell he feels it, he loves the place, sticks up for us against anything thrown at us, he will be for ever our boss. He completed our journey from the Peter Swales lows to the ridiculous highs.”

Success changes lives, even if it is enjoyed vicariously through the local football club. Guardiola has improved the existence of tens of thousands, finding joy in the style and trophy lifts. Everyone has embraced the “Catalan Manc”, enjoying his love of the city, living in the centre of it, becoming friends with the Gallagher brothers and references to local culture.

“People called Mourinho the special one, but he’s got nothing on Pep,” says Hope. “He clearly loves Manchester, embracing it as his city. That’s how we feel about Pep, he’s our Pep.”

Many of those in love with Guardiola will get to sit in the newly expanded North Stand named in his honour, helping secure a record Etihad Stadium attendance of 60,332, a fitting way to go out. It was unveiled on Sunday while a statue will be erected somewhere in the vicinity to immortalise the immortal to ensure that some things are eternal.

All the Guardiola collectibles were on sale, from flags to scarves and plenty in between, while one group in the East Stand stood resplendent in T-shirts spelling out “Gracies Pep” to show their appreciation in his native Catalan. A mural depicting Guardiola now sits resplendent on the side of a house opposite the ground but there is no chance of him being forgotten.

Fans will probably be clubbing together to see if they can find the land of the coconuts where Guardiola will be sunning himself over the summer. At the very least, they initiated Guardiola’s new life with the palm trees by bouncing beach balls around the stands.

Guardiola should have brought his own tissues, with eyes watering when he embraced another departing legend, Bernardo Silva, after bringing the captain off. Without a handkerchief in sight, Guardiola was forced to use his Pep-branded T-shirt to wipe away the tears.

The Portuguese was given a standing ovation and guard of honour from the two teams and it seemed to finally dawn on Guardiola when he embraced a man who has provided immaculate service for nine seasons. Shortly afterwards John Stones got the same combination of standing ovation and guard of honour.

“We’ve got Guardiola,” rang out repeatedly as the head coach absorbed it for one final time, weeping. The Blue Moon has reached its highest under Guardiola, and it will rise again at Manchester City but it will never shine as bright. Guardiola finished with: “In the next years, if you see me in the States or Europe or somewhere and you are a Man City fan, come and hug me. I will need it.” So will they.

The Guardian

Sports

Ayari didn’t celebrate out of respect for Tunisia, his father’s homeland.

Yasin Ayari was the star of the show as Sweden hammered Tunisia 5-1 in their FIFA World Cup opener.

The Brighton midfielder produced a man of the match display(Isak won the award officially), scoring twice and running the game from midfield. His first goal was an absolute thunderbolt and could already be a contender for goal of the tournament. Yet what caught many viewers by surprise was what happened next. Ayari chose not to celebrate.

The reason lies in his deep connection to Tunisia.

Why Ayari refused to celebrate

Ayari’s father, Azzouz, is Tunisian, meaning the midfielder was playing against the country of his family’s roots. Out of respect for Tunisia and his heritage, he kept his emotions in check after opening the scoring with a spectacular strike.

His first goal was not the only highlight of the evening. Deep into injury time, Ayari produced another stunning effort to complete his brace and put the finishing touch on Sweden’s dominant performance. This time there was no holding back. The Brighton midfielder celebrated with his teammates after finding the net for a second time, with the result already beyond doubt at 5-1.

His connection to Tunisia runs even deeper. The Tunisian Football Federation approached Ayari about switching international allegiance in 2021 and the player was reportedly interested in representing the North African nation.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, it was his father who convinced him to stay with Sweden.

“My son wanted to play for Tunisia, but I asked him to represent Sweden instead, as it is the country that welcomed and developed him. It was his duty to give something back,” Azzouz later told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

Morocco could also have laid claim to Ayari, with his mother hailing from the newly crowned Africa Cup of Nations champions. Instead, the midfielder ultimately chose Sweden, the country where he was born and developed as a footballer.

Even Tunisia head coach Sabri Lamouchi spoke warmly about the player before the tournament.

“I know him and his brother. He made a choice, I have a lot of respect, and he’s a very good player,” Lamouchi said.

Sweden run riot in World Cup opener

On the pitch, Sweden were relentless from start to finish.

Ayari’s early brilliance set the tone before Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres added further goals. Omar Rekik briefly gave Tunisia hope when he pulled one back, but the North Africans never looked capable of mounting a comeback.

Mattias Svanberg got on the scoresheet in the second half before Ayari completed his brace in stoppage time with another spectacular strike.

It was also a miserable evening for Tunisia’s goalkeeper, who endured a difficult night marked by costly mistakes and questionable positioning as Sweden repeatedly exposed the defence.

The 5-1 victory represents Sweden’s biggest World Cup win since 1938 and puts them in a commanding position in Group F.

Sports

Muheim own goal gives Qatar dramatic draw with Switzerland

Qatar celebrated their first World Cup point in a 1-1 draw against Switzerland after Miro Muheim headed in a stoppage-time own goal to send the Gulf nation into jubilation. Muheim, under pressure from Boualem Khoukhi, inadvertently headed home Homam Ahmed’s cross on 94 minutes to cancel out a first-half Breel Embolo penalty, leaving the Swiss stunned and rueful after failing to convert 26 goal attempts to Qatar’s seven.

The result left Group B wide open, with all teams locked on a point each following the co-hosts Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Qatar will be easily the most pleased among them, four years after their 2022 debut fell flat with a winless elimination on home soil. The entire Qatar squad stormed on to the pitch in ecstasy after the hapless Muheim sent his header fizzing by his own goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel, giving the Spaniard Julen Lopetegui a landmark result coaching his first World Cup match.

“We achieved one dream when we arrived here, to be here, and now today is another little dream,” Lopetegui told reporters. “And we have the right to continue having the dream.” Lopetegui was due to coach Spain at the 2018 finals but lost the job when it was revealed he had agreed to join Real Madrid after the tournament.

Qatar’s goalkeeper, Mahmoud Abunada, was also naturally thrilled, having fouled Remo Freuler to hand the Swiss their 17th-minute penalty. “This is the first point in the history of the Qatari national team. Praise be to God in all circumstances,” said Abunada. “Honestly, the match was played with great determination from everyone. Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.”

Switzerland may feel the footballing gods deserted them, though, having seen chance after chance go begging, with Dan Ndoye particularly wasteful in the first half.

It was all set up for the group favourites, though, when Abunada smashed into Freuler in the six-yard box. Freuler ran on to a header by Embolo in the area, dinked the ball goalwards past Abunada and was met heavily by the keeper, who came off second best in the clash.

The Honduran referee, Saíd Martínez, pointed straight at the spot but it took a long video assistant referee check to confirm the penalty while a prone Abunada – booked for the challenge – was attended to by medical staff. Freuler appeared to the naked eye to be offside when Embolo headed the ball forward and Fifa did not release images justifying the decision to rule him

While Michel Aebischer racked up a sixth Swiss shot on goal, stopped on the line deep into first-half stoppage time, Qatar’s attackers were left with scraps. The Asian champions’ dangerman Akram Afif was well-shackled but found space down the flank late in the half to set up Edmilson for a first-time shot saved by Kobel.

With Qatar camped in rows in front of goal, the match meandered in the second half and a raft of substitutions on both sides of the drinks interval did nothing to break the stasis. That was until Ahmed sent in the sumptuous cross which Khoukhi attacked and Muheim converted to snatch the draw, leaving clumps of Qataris jumping in the stands.

Switzerland may still fancy their chances of getting out of the group but the road ahead is rockier and their inability to seal the win will be a concern for coach Murat Yakin. They face Bosnia and Herzegovina at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday, while Qatar, who defended doggedly to thwart the classy Swiss, head north to meet Canada in Vancouver on the same day.

Despite the official attendance of 67,966, there were banks of empty seats at the 70,000-seat home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers even if the crowd reached to the highest stands. Red-clad Swiss were out in force as the team’s captain, Granit Xhaka, and the veteran full-back Ricardo Rodriguez moved past Xherdan Shaqiri in their record 13th World Cup appearance for the nation, with only the late goal spoiling their milestone match.

The Guardian

Sports

How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup in UAE

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner meaning football fans in the UAE need to prepare for a summer of late nights and early mornings.

While not having free-to-air World Cup coverage, the UAE will still have full access to every single match through beIN SPORTS, the official broadcaster for the Middle East and North Africa region. That means all 104 games will be shown live, but via subscription-based platforms.

There are a few ways fans can tune in with the most traditional option through a beIN SPORTS satellite subscription, which delivers dedicated World Cup channels straight to your TV.

For those who prefer streaming, beIN CONNECT offers live coverage on mobile, laptop and smart TV devices. Meanwhile, TOD by beIN has become a popular standalone streaming option, giving fans more flexibility to follow the action without needing a full satellite package.

What time do the games kick-off in UAE?

With the tournament being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, spanning multiple time zones, matches will follow a structured daily rhythm designed for global audiences, but it isn’t so helpful for UAE fans.

During the group stage, the matches will most frequently rotate through the following set of kick-off windows:

11:00 PM GST
2:00 AM GST
5:00 AM GST
8:00–11:00 AM GST

It means fans in the Emirates will get a real mix of late night and sunrise football. Whether it’s gathering with friends late at night or catching highlights over morning coffee, the World Cup will be part of daily life across the country for a month-long stretch.

While the absence of free-to-air coverage means viewers need a subscription to follow every match, the upside is complete access to the entire tournament in one place, with full coverage, analysis, and dedicated World Cup programming across beIN’s platforms.

And of course, football in the UAE rarely stays behind closed doors. Across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and beyond, fans can expect packed sports bars, fan zones, and public screenings throughout the tournament, creating that shared World Cup atmosphere that brings people together no matter who they support.

So, whether you’re watching at 11pm, 2am or even grabbing a quick nap before a 5am kick-off, one thing is certain, the World Cup is set to take over life in the UAE once again.