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PSG vs Bayern - a semifinal for the ages and football at its very best

In this special football edition of The Ring, we deconstruct a Champions League game that will go down in history as one of the best ever. Nine goals - can top quality football really be any better? Our experts also weigh in on what else is moving Europe's most popular sport.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/30/psg-vs-bayern-a-semifinal-for-the-ages-and-football-at-its-very-best

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Transcript
00:10Hello and welcome to our special football edition of The Ring. I'm Stefan Grobe.
00:16At Euronews, we usually don't cover sports events, but last night's semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich
00:23was a game for the ages.
00:25Reason enough to bring you this live debrief from Brussels.
00:28After a fantastic match that electrified the Parc des Princes and will go down in Champions League history, PSG secured
00:37a one-goal lead, having been up 5-2, but having also feared the worst.
00:43The second leg next week in Munich promises a huge one.
00:47So talk about what happened last night, what comes next, and what else is moving European football these days.
00:53I'm joined by two big football fans and consummate Brussels insiders.
00:58Conor Allen, who manages government and external relations at a big company, and Petros Fasoulas, secretary-general of the European
01:06Movement International.
01:08Welcome to both of you and thanks for coming on the show tonight.
01:11Conor, I'll start with you. Did the better team win last night?
01:15Well, it was such an entertaining game. Who was the better team? Okay, you could say it's PSG, but I
01:20actually thought both of the defences were kind of crap, if I can say so.
01:25Manuel Neuer didn't have the best game.
01:28So probably, if you ask me, I don't really know who was the best team. I was so glued, it
01:34was so entertaining, but it was marked by individual elements.
01:37Well, that's what it should be, right? Who are you rooting for, Petros?
01:40Well, neither of the teams are the ones I support. I'm an Olympiacos fan through and through. If I support
01:45anybody else, the world will end.
01:47But we were likely to be treated to top quality football by two really strong teams, representing two leagues that
01:54are indeed at the top of their performance.
01:57And as a result, choosing the best one isn't even necessary. You know, I think we enjoyed the game. We
02:03saw attacking football.
02:05As we haven't seen this season a lot, you know, things are becoming a bit more boring. And that in
02:08itself, I think, was a triumph.
02:09Yeah, on that point, nine goals in a Champions League semi-final. That's a record. What does it tell us
02:15about the team's qualities?
02:17Well, I think it illustrates the difference between PSG and Bayern. And so PSG, they have such individual quality that
02:23when you kind of open the game up and you have that free-flowing attacking dynamic, the individual quality shines
02:31through a bit more.
02:32But then once the game calms down a bit, you know, Bayern are so strong with the structure they have,
02:37the kind of German discipline and order, that they really got back into it.
02:41I think it also reminds us the extent to which football has become this perfect machine now. You know, we
02:48have so much data, so much analysis on performance.
02:52Athletes get the best treatment to recover from injuries. They have trainers. They are able to reach a peak very
02:58early in their career and then spend years and years perfecting their talent.
03:03So ultimately, when they reach that level, they can perform in an outside fashion.
03:06And the quality of both teams was rather on the same level, right? So PSG coach Luis Enrique said that
03:13it was the best game he ever experienced as a coach.
03:16And later he said that PSG merited to win, but also merited to end with a draw and merited to
03:22lose. Was he right, Conor?
03:24Yeah, I mean...
03:26So was it just good luck?
03:29It wasn't... Maybe it was luck, because could you... And we just talked about this. Was there anything between the
03:36teams?
03:36I don't think there was. It was such... It was individual mistakes. Manuel Neuer, again, perhaps maybe should have saved
03:42two goals, beat him in his near post one time.
03:45So I think it was really... When you talk about the quality of the players and the 1% that
03:50decides these games, I think it was this 1%.
03:52I don't think any team deserved to win, but that's the result we have.
03:56How important is this one goal advantage for PSG heading into the second leg?
04:04I mean, it can be very important. It can mean nothing. We saw how quickly goals were scored last night.
04:09So you can imagine one team going 3-0 up after 15 minutes in a week's time.
04:15But at the same time, one goal gives you that psychological advantage. It makes you realise that, you know, you
04:20can beat the other team.
04:21It's possible that Bayern feels a bit more confident, because first of all, they came from behind and they nearly
04:26equalised.
04:27They really put PSG up against it. And second of all, of course, they're playing at home.
04:31So that one goal advantage can disappear quite quickly. 75,000, the Allianz Arena is tied.
04:37It's a cauldron. A cauldron in Munich.
04:40And Bayern only lost three games this season. And they're hosting PSG at home. Does that make the final difference?
04:48It makes all the difference, doesn't it? And we've all been there in the football staging. We've got the fans
04:52going, something's on the line.
04:54You can cut the atmosphere of a night. It makes all the difference.
04:57And when we're talking about those 1% and you've got your fans behind you screaming and shouting and going
05:03for a PSG, I think Bayern have a strong psychological advantage.
05:07Will the PSG be out-screamed in Munich? Certainly.
05:10There was one scene yesterday where one of the ball boys refused to give the ball to Manuel Neuer. Did
05:17you see that?
05:18And obviously Bayern was under pressure to score. That is something we don't want to see, right, as Leeds, from
05:26somebody who has nothing to do with the game.
05:28Yeah. Well, where I come from, this is quite regular. Everybody's trying to give their team a tiny bit of
05:34advantage.
05:34And yes, holding on to the ball, if that makes a difference, why not?
05:38We've always had it, though, haven't we? I remember Chelsea about 10 years ago, was it David Luiz kicking a
05:43ball boy because he wouldn't give the ball back?
05:44It's always happened. You're always going to have teams scrambling for a little bit of advantage.
05:48To make it more suspenseful next week, Hakimi, PSG player, was injured in the 88th minute or something and then
05:57could barely make it to the end.
05:58He's probably not going to play next week. Is that a handicap for the Parisians?
06:03Yeah. I mean, so I think he's going to go in testing at the moment and maybe he's back, but
06:08most likely not.
06:09Listen, I think the modern game relies so much on that role of the wing back, right?
06:13And really attacking defenders, getting up and down the field. And Hakimi is one of the best in the game
06:18at that.
06:19So it's not the end of the world for PSG, but they will miss him for sure.
06:23They have such an amazing squad, so much talent. I think they can't replace anyone.
06:29Yeah. Yeah.
06:29It's a pity that he won't be there because he's an exciting player indeed.
06:32Yes, indeed.
06:33Yeah. What characterizes both teams' qualities?
06:39Is it, you know, we said they were forward playing and no tactics. It's, you know, playing offense, really.
06:47But can we detect some differences here?
06:52Well, it's interesting that you ask that because I think Bayern is a bit more muscular.
06:58They are a bit more dominant in the way they approach the game.
07:02PSG is famous for their fluid and fast game. They play a lot from the wings.
07:06They have this mentality of running the ball.
07:10But I think that is also where the difference could be in the second leg.
07:14Who will be able to assert themselves physically over the other, win over the mind games as well,
07:20and eventually get that extra edge because the competition is really strong and the two teams are hard to separate.
07:26Yeah.
07:27Yeah.
07:27And you can really see with Bayern just the mentality and the grit they have to go 5-2 down
07:33at one point
07:34and to fight back, to still be in it for the next leg, that shows true spirit.
07:39I think that shows tenacity and grit and resilience, which may be, you know, fancy flowing PSG.
07:44Maybe they won't have.
07:45I think maybe in the next leg when we start to see Bayern coming for PSG, it's going to be
07:49a real test of PSG's mentality.
07:51But, I mean, still they lost, right? But did they merit a draw at that point?
07:57I don't know. I think PSG on the night, I mean, they probably maybe perhaps deserved it.
08:01I mean, they opened the game up. The game was played to PSG's strengths and not the other way around.
08:06And so I think there's something to be said for grabbing the green banner, scruff of the neck and really
08:10going for it.
08:11But it just was really close, wasn't it?
08:13Yeah. One word on the referee. There were two penalty kicks, obviously contested.
08:20How important, I'm not going to, you know, enter this debate whether it was justified or not,
08:25but how important is, you know, the performance of the referee in a game like this?
08:31It can make a difference, of course. It can ruin a game.
08:34But then again, it's part of life. Mistakes are part of life.
08:37And I think in modern football, because so much is at stake, so much money, so much prestige,
08:42we're trying to scrutinize every decision and avoid every mistake.
08:47That's not how life works. Sometimes people make mistakes. It's part of the game the way it's part of life.
08:53Yeah. And I guess as professionals, you have to shove it, right?
08:57Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, bad refereeing decisions have always been with the game.
09:03And even with VAR, they still exist. I thought those penalty decisions were a bit weak, maybe.
09:07Maybe, I don't know. I don't know if you agree with me or not.
09:11But it's part of the game. You've got to live with it. And at the end of the day, it
09:14balances out.
09:15Yeah. Is either team now favored to win the Champions League this year, regardless of what happens between Atletico and
09:22Arsenal, Petros?
09:23You know, I would say that this would have been an amazing final.
09:26You know, that these two teams deserve to go all the way. The way they have performed.
09:30Don't forget, I think they both have scored over 40 goals in this competition.
09:34And their performances have been high consistently.
09:39So, it would be a pity if one of them is not there. Because the way the play may reach
09:44to reach the final at least.
09:46Now, who is going to make it is really hard to predict. And I'm not a betting man.
09:50Connor?
09:51I don't think either. I think Arsenal are going to win it.
09:53Arsenal's going to win it.
09:54Like Arsenal look electric. I think they are, I mean, unbeaten.
09:58This comes from a Man United fan.
10:00I know, exactly.
10:01It's quite a statement.
10:02On live TV.
10:03I don't think you're going to be allowed back to Manchester again.
10:05All right. So, we have Bayern from Germany, PSG from France, Atletico from Spain and Arsenal from England.
10:14That is pretty balanced. There used to be a time when we had, you know, three Spanish teams, three English
10:19teams among the last four.
10:23Is the rest of Europe catching up? Is there more balance now? Is it even-handed?
10:28Look, there's still a few leagues that are dominating European competitions.
10:32Whether we like it or not, because of television rights, foreign investment from very wealthy individuals, whether it's from the
10:40Gulf or the US or elsewhere.
10:42So, you know, we still see that a handful of leagues and a small number of teams dominate year in,
10:48year out.
10:48It's great that four nations are represented. The teams from four nations are represented in the semifinals.
10:53Certainly an improvement. It does get a bit boring when you have three Spanish teams or three English teams.
10:57Right. That makes it more interesting, right?
10:59Conor.
10:59Yeah, it does. I think it's reflective of, in general, football is much more competitive across the game now.
11:05And if you look in the English league, within the Spanish league, within the German league, there's suddenly six or
11:10seven teams pushing for those Champions League spots.
11:13That raises everyone's game, apart from the French league, where there's still only 14.
11:16All right. Let me stop you right there as we're just getting warmed up.
11:25Now it's time for you to challenge each other directly and ask each other questions.
11:31So let's get started. Petros, why don't you kick us off?
11:34Well, I just remember a famous English striker, Gary Lineker, saying that football is a game played by two teams,
11:4111 players each, and the Germans always win.
11:44Is that true?
11:46A long time ago.
11:49It was once upon a time, but, I mean, that sort of German dominance, I mean, is it really still
11:55there?
11:56I remember a time, you know, my defining moment as a fan was 1999, Manchester United scoring two goals in
12:02the last minute to beat Bayern Munich.
12:03I have to say that because Stefan's almost a Bayern fan.
12:07German dominance, it's more, they're certainly scary, but it's a myth, isn't it? Isn't it a myth?
12:14Yeah, I do play quite well.
12:15Does this have something to do with governance of football in Germany? That's different?
12:21Because there's no big investor can buy a club, something like this?
12:25A little bit, a little bit. And I think, and this is a question I want to ask to you,
12:28when we look at teams these days, you have a difference.
12:32You have teams of real soul, real passion, and they're connected to communities.
12:35So, as a Man United fan, and a bad United fan, but I'm going to say Liverpool, if you go
12:40towards the Kop, you stand in the Kop, it's such an electric atmosphere.
12:44Those fans love that club. If you go to Red Bull Leipzig, if you go to Chelsea, if you go
12:48to Manchester City, if you go to PSG, it's not the same, is it?
12:51Yeah, it's very true. I think globalisation, the internationalisation of the game has made it obviously very exciting, as we
12:59were discussing earlier, performances are better, players are so much skillful,
13:03so skillful, but it's true. We've lost a little bit the connection with the community, and I think that is
13:09a big risk for, not just professional football,
13:11I think the same applies to all sports, especially those with a global profile. If we lose the funds, if
13:18we're turning too much into entertainment, too much into business,
13:22then the sport itself is going to suffer, and ultimately the people who invested in it are going to lose
13:27their money.
13:28So, it is great that we have so many great teams, and so many good players, and so much interest
13:33to watch the game,
13:35but if the fans, the local fans, don't feel a connection with the club, the whole thing can fall apart
13:40quite quickly.
13:40Yeah. Pietro, there's another question to Conor.
13:43Well, you know, I struggle a little bit with this, because I don't want the conversations to be very nerdy,
13:47but I'll ask you this.
13:48What would you prefer? Front row seats, World Cup final, or 90 minutes with Woden Leinen?
13:55Ah, it depends if it's on the ring or not.
13:59Question.
14:00No, I mean, the World Cup final, obviously. It's such a special thing to go to a World Cup final.
14:05I've never been to a World Cup final. I don't know if any of you lads have, but are defining
14:09moments in your life,
14:11and people point to those World Cup moments.
14:13I have a question to you, Conor.
14:16Britain has four federations, four teams. Is that not dividing the power of British football?
14:23I mean, the last competition you won was in 1966, the year I was born. I remember that, against Germany.
14:31But, I mean, so what's your suggestion? That Great Britain should compete?
14:34Yeah, sure.
14:34As we do in the Olympics.
14:36No, no, because I think if you ask a Scottish fan, who do you truly support?
14:40A Scottish fan will say Scotland. He'll never root for England.
14:43And the same with the Northern Irish, and the same with the Welsh.
14:45And that goes back to what we were saying. It needs to be connected to local communities, and it has
14:50to be connected to, it needs to be natural, right?
14:52And so, if you compare it to golf, where we have a European team, it's bad.
14:56That brings about collective disappointment every four years, because you guys never win anything, because the power of British football
15:03is so divided.
15:04Well, you look at the next World Cup, it's coming home.
15:06Okay. All right. I've heard that sentence before.
15:10Conor, next question to Quetros.
15:12Well, we just kind of lapsed down into the national sport.
15:19Maybe my question is, how is the health, in your eyes, of the national game?
15:24Is there still a huge amount of people who really get behind their nation and cheer, or is it slipping
15:32away as these clubs and this club for all becomes so much more powerful?
15:36No, no. I think there is a lot of passion still, in support of the national team, in most European
15:40nations, at least the ones that are known for.
15:42And, you know, we are now in Belgium.
15:44And, as we all know, Belgium is a very divided country, along linguistic lines, religious lines, political lines.
15:50But the one thing that unites them, is the national football team.
15:53And we've seen this year in, year out, tournament in, tournament out.
15:57Even when they're not doing well, people are really coming behind them.
15:59So I think there is still passion in supporting the national team.
16:02And it's also important to make sure that these big clubs that want to create their closed leagues and make
16:07sure that the players don't get injured playing for the national team, don't touch the national federation, don't touch the
16:14national team.
16:15I like that unifying theme. We'll come back to it in a minute.
16:18We now want to hear the view from a new person, a new voice. And here it is.
16:31I want to bring in EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Mikalev now from Malta.
16:36He watched the game last night and told us the following.
16:39The semifinal showed football at its very best. That's what European sport does.
16:45It brings people into the same moment. Footballers are ambassadors and role models people look up to.
16:51They inspire and connect millions of people. And the Champions League, together with Europe's domestic leagues, gives them the greatest
16:59stage to do exactly that.
17:01Do you agree, Conor?
17:03I absolutely agree. You know, you look at footballers have always inspired young men and women.
17:09I remember, I mean, my role model as a child, it was Eric Cantona, right?
17:13Of course, as a kid, you want to look up to these role models, these people who are the best
17:18in the world, elite athletes who put in so much training and sacrifice.
17:23And you really see the results of that on the pitch. I absolutely agree with Commissioner Mikalev.
17:27So that unifying element here, does it exist? And can it help us as society to overcome, you know, other
17:35divisions?
17:36Yes, absolutely. One step back. Sometimes we put too much on the shoulders of these young men and women, you
17:42know, these athletes generally.
17:44We're talking about men's football in particular here. You know, they're in their early 20s, some of them in their
17:48late teens.
17:50And, you know, they perform at the highest level in front of thousands, if not millions of people watching on
17:55TV.
17:55And then if we expect them also to function as role models too, especially ones that are supposed to unify
18:02a society, there is a lot of pressure there.
18:04Having said that, you know, there are examples where people have really grasped that opportunity, that the spotlight.
18:11And they use it to speak about issues that are separate to football. And I embrace this because I think
18:16football is part of society.
18:17And they need to have a voice in that society. But sometimes I think we put too much pressure on
18:22them.
18:22And then all the PR comes around and they end up sounding like robots because they're too careful to say
18:27the wrong thing.
18:27Can I challenge you on that? Why should footballers, who, okay, yes, I accept they are their models, but they're
18:32multimillionaires.
18:33They are so detached from the issues of the common person. Why should these footballers be speaking about anything in
18:41the sport?
18:41You know, not everyone is detached. It's true. There are some who have become too rich and obviously they're completely
18:47from a different world.
18:48But, you know, not everyone is detached. And I mean that also about those that are not role models.
18:54You know, the guy who we saw an English football player recently getting really intoxicated in a bar in his
19:00local town and falling asleep.
19:01You know, but how much money he makes, he's like a normal lad.
19:05I think he has a point. How can multimillionaire football players be role models for kids who grow up in
19:14suburbia under very, very modest circumstances?
19:17It can be an inspiration, especially for those who are coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, to see someone who is coming
19:23from their own context
19:26and becoming really successful, wealthy even, doing something that they care for.
19:31I think that can be the difference between pursuing, playing a sport, being physical, being healthy, and doing drugs or
19:40falling into a bar.
19:41All right. We'll talk about the dark side of footballs now. Let's go to the next round.
19:49So, UEFA reports show that hundreds to thousands of posts are flagged during tournaments.
19:55Between 5 to 65 percent of flagged content is classified as racist, depending on the competition and stage.
20:02Racism is consistently listed as a major category of discrimination in European football monitoring systems, according to UEFA.
20:10Conor, do these numbers surprise you?
20:13The numbers don't surprise me, no, and anyone with a Twitter account will know when a match day is on,
20:18you will see some awful stuff.
20:20But you also have to realise you can't police the world, right?
20:23And a lot of these comments originate from places outside European jurisdiction.
20:29I don't think, and we all grew up in the 90s, and for you guys the 80s, sorry to say,
20:36where racism was really rife in football.
20:38It was really nasty, and it was really visible and present.
20:40That's not the game today.
20:41Today, you know, a black person could take their family to a game in full safety and full security, more
20:47or less.
20:47But we're still hearing, you know, bad comments about black players in stadiums, as soon as the player approaches the
20:56sideline or, you know, gets the ball from the ball boy.
21:00We've seen awful scenes here, right?
21:02Yeah, football is even in national leagues.
21:04Football is a reflection of our society.
21:06It doesn't operate in a vacuum.
21:08You know, it's not just a script that we put together to present an idealized version of our everyday reality.
21:14Unfortunately, our society is divided.
21:16There is racism, bigotry, and as a result, that spills over into football as well.
21:21The same way it spills over in every side of society.
21:24We need to fight this kind of division, especially racism, across our society.
21:30And when we manage to educate our people, then they will be able to behave better as human beings and
21:36as fans as well.
21:37Who should manage? Who should do this?
21:39Well, I mean, if I can push back on this, yes, so when you hear those words in the stadium,
21:47those people get lifted.
21:48They get stadium bans, right?
21:50I don't think Europe itself has a massive problem with racism in football.
21:54There are clear punishments, and we see those punishments being enacted all the time.
21:58Your citation for why is there so much racism in football was online comments on Twitter.
22:04We don't know the origin of those comments.
22:06They could be from anywhere in the world.
22:07And so, well, you know, I don't think we should give Europe the power to please the world in that.
22:12Well, unfortunately, we just have to accept it.
22:14Well, there's like, coming back to last night's game, there is this story that probably only football can write.
22:19And this is the friendship between Dembele from PSG and Upa Meccano from Bayern Munich,
22:25who have been friends since kindergarten, and now they're playing on both sides, you know, in good football jobs.
22:32Is this an inspiring story?
22:34Should we tell these stories more often?
22:38It's inspiring, and it's not.
22:40And I think, you know, the game should be about competition, fierce competition, and the best athletes in the world
22:46going at each other and doing everything they can to win.
22:48And, you know, I always remember what Roy Keyes saying of the Pogba brothers, are they really going at each
22:54other as hard as they can when they're going for half-time and embracing and holding hands and stuff?
23:28No, no, no, no. You need to be out there to win.
23:29You need to be out there to win their shirts and go and have a drink together, because they come
23:32back, they go back a long time.
23:34So, yeah, it doesn't compromise, I think, at all their sense of competitiveness. To reach that level, you should be
23:39able to play through anything, including friendship.
23:42Be fans off the pitch, but on the pitch, be enemies.
23:46That's a perfect conclusion, but we're not yet there at the end. Now it's time to move on to our
23:51fifth and final round.
23:55Well, we want to do something different. I'm going to ask you a set of questions, and you can only
24:00answer with one word.
24:03Okay. Petro, start with you. Who will win the Champions League this year?
24:07I think it's going to be Piersi. Aston.
24:10Aston. All right. Who should we consider the best player of the Champions League this year?
24:16Kane.
24:17Kane?
24:19I agree. He's a bit biased.
24:21I will give you that. You know, I've never been a big fan of his, but the way he's played
24:25for Bayern has exceeded my expectations, so I'll give him an extra point for that.
24:30Okay. Who should we consider the best coach?
24:33I really like Henrik. I think he's a great guy. I love his style. Even though Kompany is an exciting
24:40young man, you know, from Belgium, of course, played in the UK, I think Henrik is the best guy.
24:45Okay. Now I'm going to ask a question where you can only answer with yes or no, to make it
24:51short. Connor, should the Champions League be on free TV?
24:56No.
24:57Yes.
24:58Yes. Okay. Let's move on to the World Cup. Who wins the World Cup this year?
25:05Oh, my goodness. That's very, very difficult. You know what? Greece is not there, so I'll have to choose somebody
25:13else. Let's see. This is controversial.
25:15You can say England if you want. Yes, you know what? I'll say England. You think about it, Connor. England,
25:22of course. Okay. It's coming home.
25:25Should we have a Europa League, a real Europa League, with only the best clubs, a project that has been,
25:33you know, floated in the past?
25:35Like a closed league?
25:36Yes. Like in the US. No?
25:38No.
25:38No. All right. Letting three countries host the World Cup. Is that a good idea?
25:44No. No.
25:45Yes.
25:46Okay. Inventing the FIFA Peace Prize and awarding it to Donald Trump. Is that a good idea?
25:54Terrible. Not a good idea.
25:57It's a nuanced answer. No from the perspective of credibility. Yes from the perspective of getting Trump on board.
26:04Okay.
26:05I'm getting the game.
26:06In this World Cup, there will be a record number of 48 participating teams. Too many?
26:12Yes.
26:13No.
26:15Okay.
26:16Iran qualified for the World Cup. Should the country participate or be kicked out as the Trump administration suggested?
26:25Participate.
26:25Participate.
26:26Okay. And are tickets generally too expensive?
26:32Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
26:34Outrageous. Yes.
26:35Would you guys, you know, earn some money consider going to the US and buy a ticket?
26:42If you're inviting, sure. But I don't think I can afford it.
26:45Okay.
26:46Yeah, no, I can't afford that.
26:47All right.
26:48Not on my salary.
26:49Listen, that's it. That was the final answer that brings us to the end of this special live edition of
26:55The Ring.
26:55Thanks again to Conor Allen and Petrus Fassoulas for a lively conversation here from our studio in Brussels.
27:02Thanks to our audience at home.
27:04If you like, you can continue the conversation by sending us your comments to thering at euronews.com.
27:10We'd love to have your feedback.
27:12That's it for today.
27:14I'm Stefan Grobe.
27:15Take care and see you soon on euronews.
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