Former Maccabi Tel Aviv Coach Robbie Keane Joins BBC as Football Pundit

Robbie Keane, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach, has taken on a new role as a football analyst for the BBC's Match of the Day program. This move comes a little over two years after he left Maccabi Tel Aviv and following his coaching stint at Ferencváros from January 2025 until the end of the last season. Despite being linked with managerial positions at Celtic and Crystal Palace, Keane did not secure a coaching job and instead shifted to sports commentary. He will share the screen with notable pundits including Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, and Wayne Rooney.

Keane, 46, joined Maccabi Tel Aviv at the start of the 2023/2024 season with the clear objective of winning the Israeli Premier League title, a goal he achieved as the team finished first, 11 points ahead of Maccabi Haifa. Although the team lost a double-digit lead during the season, they managed to recover and secure the championship. Under Keane's leadership, Maccabi Tel Aviv recorded a notable 4-1 victory over Olympiacos in Piraeus but suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat in the return leg, which was one of the club's most humiliating losses. Olympiacos went on to win the Conference League that season. In the Israeli State Cup, Maccabi Tel Aviv was eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 4-2 loss to Maccabi Petah Tikva, who eventually won the tournament.