Young Kurd to commentate UEFA Champions League final for beIN sports

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A young Kurd from the Kurdistan Region has been recognized as the best young football commentator of the year in a competition run by Qatar-based sports broadcaster beIN Sports and will provide commentary for the 2019 UEFA Champions League final.

Abdulsamad Abdulsatar Khosnaw told Kurdistan 24 he was proud but surprised to win the beIN competition and even more surprised at being allowed to commentate on one of the most prestigious football events in the world.

The young Kurd received 32.63 percent of votes, beating second and third place candidates Marwanh Madany (22.91) and Heja Ismaeel (13.06).

Khosnaw has provided commentary for Kurdistan 24 Sport on Kurdistan Premier League matches as well as Iraqi Premier League games involving Kurdish club Erbil SC.

He gave viewers a preview of his skills in the Kurdistan 24 studio on Saturday with commentary on a previous goal Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo had scored for Juventus against Torino in the Italian league.

Khosnaw told Kurdistan 24 that there is no confirmation yet whether the commentary will be in Kurdish, but he said it is likely to be in Arabic as the beIN studio is located in Doha, Qatar.

“If the commentary is in Kurdish, I will be very grateful,” he said.  

“I hope that in the coming years, more young Kurdish commentators can get an opportunity to be pundits during live games.”

Khosnaw also reserved praise for Kurdistan 24 Sport who he said gave him “a platform and opportunity to improve my skills and grow my career.”

The Champions League final will be played between English Premier League sides Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on June 1 at 10 p.m. Erbil time.

(Additional reporting by Karwan Kamal)