Manish Bhasin reflects on the end of ‘Football Focus’ after 52 years
Manish Bhasin has spoken about the BBC’s decision to bring the long‑running football programme ‘Football Focus’ to an end after 52 years.
The show, which first aired in 1974, will conclude at the end of the current season after more than five decades on air. Bhasin, who fronted the programme for several years, described the announcement as a moment that made him look back on its legacy with real affection.
Speaking to Sky News, he said the programme had been “a constant in so many people’s weekends” and admitted that seeing it come to a close felt “strange, but also a reminder of how broadcasting keeps evolving.”
Bhasin also reflected on his own time in the presenter’s chair, crediting the production team for shaping the show’s identity. “It was always about the football and the fans — that never changed,” he noted, adding that the programme’s longevity was a testament to the people behind it.
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The BBC has said the decision to end ‘Football Focus’ is linked to shifting viewing habits and the need to adapt to how audiences now consume sport. For Bhasin, the end of the show marks the close of a chapter in British football broadcasting, but he emphasised that its influence will endure.
As he put it to Sky News, “You don’t last 52 years without meaning something.”
