FIFA pays tribute to veteran World Cup sportscasters and photographers
In recognising the role played by the media in making football the most popular of all sports, FIFA has paid homage to the longevity and commitment of the reporters who have covered eight or more FIFA World Cup competitions.
Organised with the support of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), a special ceremony was held in Doha for the nearly 80 journalists and photographers who have reached that landmark figure.
The fact that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is being played in a single city, the country’s capital, provided a unique opportunity to bring all of these honourable members of the press together to receive their awards – a mini-replica of the FIFA World Cup Trophy – from two-time Brazilian world champion Ronaldo, 46.
The dean of active World Cup sportscasters, Argentina's Enrique Macaya Márquez, 88, still remembers his first journey to the FIFA World Cup - when he travelled to Sweden in 1958.
"It was an adventure to us," he recalled. "Between the adventures and the football, we divided our time accordingly - and today, I'm a bit of a representative for all my colleagues who have the opportunity to travel to and witness games as important as those of the World Cup."
This year's World Cup was his 17th - a new record among journalists.
At: https://www.aipsmedia.com/aips/pages/articles/2022/33143.html
Argentina's Enrique Macaya Márquez, the dean of active World Cup sportscasters, is presented a miniature replica of the World Cup by legendary Brazilian football striker Ronaldo at a FIFA/International Sports Press Association ceremony honoring sportscasters and photographers who've covered 8 World Cups or more.
"I think the most important thing is the love one feels for this profession," Uruguay's Jorge da Silveira, 79, said.
"That your family comes to understand that there are no weekends, that your duty to your viewers, readers and listeners comes first - and that's why this (award) is for my family, who knew to understand my love for my job."
