Covering World Cup finals, from 1998 drama to Argentina’s jibes in 2022 | OneFootball

The new season of the podcast De notre envoyé(e) spécial(e), marking L'Équipe’s 80th year, lifts the lid on covering World Cup finals, according to L'Équipe. Three football writers share behind-the-scenes pressures and vivid memories from 1998, 2006, 2018 and 2022.

Vincent Duluc, at his 11th World Cup this summer, recalls 1998 as fraught. He cites Aimé Jacquet’s resentment towards the paper and mass-production deadlines, sending copy in stages and having only five to 10 minutes to transmit his opening.

Italy specialist Céline Ruissel relives the 2006 final. Zidane’s headbutt brought a mix of silence and shock in the stadium, punctuated by a neighbouring reporter’s shouts.

Hugo Delom, who has followed the Bleus since 2016 and covered the 2018 and 2022 finals, describes a tense press box in the last showpiece. After Argentina’s second goal, he says French reporters were openly mocked by Argentine colleagues. When Kylian Mbappé equalised, he felt an overwhelming emotion, briefly joined in the taunting, then checked himself.

The trio also explain the craft, from nailing probable line-ups and compiling player ratings to racing against print deadlines. They stress the singular emotion of reporting on history. Delom admits he messaged the key people in his life on the morning of the final, fearing he might never feel that again.

Source: L'Équipe