BBC Commentator John Murray Reflects on 30 Years — and more

Murray reflects on his journey from Stoke to the Arctic Circle, detailing the diverse range of matches he has commentated on over the last 30 years. He highlights the unique experiences of covering sports for the BBC across various locations.

Paul Gorst is remaining hopeful that Ibrahima Konate will ultimately sign a new contract at Liverpool, with the clock rapidly ticking on a decision over his future.

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The Frenchman’s current deal ends in just over four months’ time, although Arne Slot publicly stated last week that discussions are ongoing behind the scenes over a potential renewal for the 26-year-old.

Along with his Liverpool Echo colleague Ian Doyle, the aforementioned journalist recently made the case for the Reds’ number 5 to be kept on so that the club have secured a centre-back for his peak footballing years and won’t have to break the bank for a readymade first-team replacement.

Why Gorst thinks ‘there is hope yet’ over new deal for Konate

In a readers’ Q&A for the Liverpool Echo, Gorst was asked what he thinks will happen with Konate’s contract situation.

He replied: ‘It does indeed sound more promising on Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation, I would agree. I was in the room with Arne Slot on Friday when he told us that the club remained locked in talks over a new deal and it sounded fairly encouraging.’

(Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

The reporter raised one potential ‘sticking point’ regarding the player’s wage demands, noting that he’s still on the same weekly salary that he was earning when he came to Liverpool as a relatively unproven 22-year-old in 2021 and is now an established elite-level operator.

Gorst concluded: ‘Liverpool will have to pay a fortune to replace him this summer if he walks away, and that’s even factoring in Jeremy Jacquet’s imminent arrival. I’m hedging my bets at this point as we are nearly in March without a resolution but Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk only renewed in April [2025], so there is hope yet.’

Konate would be justified in seeking a significant pay rise

The journalist’s point about Konate’s wages staying the same for five years while many other teammates have had pay rises in that time is a pertinent one, and the defender will have also seen new signings who aren’t readymade starters coming in on higher salaries.

According to Capology, the 26-year-old is still on £70,000 per week, a relatively low wage within the Liverpool squad. For context, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Joe Gomez (neither of whom start as regularly as the Frenchman) earn £85,000 weekly, while perennial substitute Federico Chiesa is on £150,000 per week.

Those three are all being paid more than the Reds’ number 5 even though he’s the only one who’s a fixed starter in Slot’s team. That’s not to discredit or demean the others, but to substantiate why the France international might justifiably be clamouring for a substantial pay rise.

Although Konate has had some below-par performances this season, he’s been one of the few defenders who’s remained consistently available to LFC, which is significant in a campaign where injuries have decimated our backline.

Also, the 26-year-old has enjoyed a notable resurgence in form since returning from compassionate leave last month after the death of his father, putting in an outstanding display in the hard-fought win at Sunderland a week ago.

As Gorst mentioned, it wasn’t until April of last year that Salah and Van Dijk renewed their deals, so there’s no need for panic with our number 5 just yet. That said, it’d feel like a huge weight off everyone’s shoulders for a new deal to be struck sooner rather than later.

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Morocco: Exceptional support for the two friendly matches!

Morocco / @x.com

With just a few months to go before the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup, the Moroccan national team is continuing its serious preparations by scheduling two prestigious friendlies against Ecuador and Paraguay, on March 27 and 31.

High demand for Morocco match tickets ahead of the World Cup

Walid Regragui's men will first take on Ecuador on March 27 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, before facing Paraguay on March 31 at the Bollaert-Delelis Stadium in Lens, France.

The buzz around these two fixtures is remarkable. No fewer than 54,000 tickets were sold in less than five hours: 31,000 for the Madrid clash and 23,000 for the Lens match, according to the organizing committee.

In an official statement, the organizers praised the tremendous support from the Moroccan community living in Europe, emphasizing that it provides a real morale boost for the Atlas Lions as the World Cup approaches.