Attending the biggest party in football has not ceased to be a dream for Francis Molestin38, as a fan and communicator. hot dog (as he prefers to be called and as he is in fact known by the public) is planning to travel this weekend to Qatar, the host of the 2022 Soccer World Cupthus marking his sixth experience in the FIFA international tournament on his passport and resume.
“To those of us who love football and as communicators, being able to broadcast about the most important national team event It is a dream come true”, he states in an interview that we conducted by Zoom. “It is the most watched event on the planet, there is no other with more prominence, not even the Super Bowl, which is the largest in the United States.”
Indeed, the final of the cup paralyzes the Earth; there are millions who stop their lives, at any time, anywhere, to plug into the closest screen and savor the minutes that outline the world champion. According to the International Federation of Football Association, 3.572 million people watched Russia 2018 (the last World Cup) on television or digital platforms, that is, half of humanity. While the final, between France and Croatia, reached an average audience of 517 million live viewers.
On those screens we will also see Molestina, from the field of journalism, since she is preparing special coverage in the Arab country for Diario EL UNIVERSO.
“We are going to have coverage not only in one city, but everywhere, in different stadiums,” says the communicator, taking advantage of the fact that the Qatari territory is not that extensive. Just for comparison, the surface of the Ecuadorian territory is 24 times greater: 283,560 km² versus the 11,571 km² of Qatar.
“We will tell you the route of the stadiums, their details, the best moments, where Ecuador is, their training sessions, their rivals,” he adds. “I am very excited about that, because it is an ambitious coverage and I really want to show all Ecuadorians this new cup in the Middle East”.
The idea is to transmit this content on the social networks of the newspaper and the presenter, in Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twittereven before the group draw, on April 1, promises the sports journalist.
Molestina, the world cup
“It’s very cool to cover my National Team again in the most important event in the world!”, responds the journalist. It is the same enthusiasm that he carried in his suitcase 20 years ago when he flew to Japan-Korea 2002, his first World Cup, his first international coverage, his first stage as a sports journalist.
And it is the same spirit that, added to curiosity and a lot of effort, also accompanied him in Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.
“I lived the transition from negativismfrom hearing the typical ‘we’re never going to make it to a World Cup’, to the fact that today the youngest, who have already seen three World Cups, They are demanding a little more from their National Team”.
And each meeting has had its special moments. The 2002 It was the first time that Pancho heard Ecuador sing the anthem in a world cup. The 2006 saw, in his opinion, the best performance of the country in the tournament. At 2010although Ecuador did not qualify, the communicator experienced Africa’s first time as host and also witnessed the historic first cup for Spain.
The only ugly thing, he adds, was when he lost it, although he rather believes that they stole the tickets for the final in South Africa. “I remember that I had run into Rafael Nadal a few minutes before, in Mandela Square. It was a party, you couldn’t even move… When I wanted to check my ticket, which I had hidden in my pocket, I couldn’t find it anymore”. And the worst thing, he says, is that at that time each ticket was so coveted that on the black market it was around $6,000, $7,000.
“I entered with the credential and was able to pass all the filters. It was a very hard moment and at the same time the happiest, because I was lucky to enter and watch the game with the family of the Child (Fernando Torres, a good striker for the Spanish team. I lived that historic moment of Iniesta’s goal”.
At 2014, Molestina again followed the Ecuadorian delegation. “I stayed a little longer, 40 days; I reached the final instances, when the championship was won by Germany over Messi’s Argentina at the Maracana”.
At 2018again with Ecuador out, the communicator was in the semifinals in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, when Kylian Mbappé’s team was crowned the best against Luka Modrić’s.
“This is like winning a degree, because you get to know different cultures and ways of thinkingsome that shock you, others that amaze you: from the formality of the Asians to the informality that the Africans and us South Americans can have, and then the Germans with their passion”.
Ecuadorian value
Yes covering a World Cup is an unparalleled experienceIt is more incomparable when one’s compatriots, his brothers from the land, participate in that championship. More clearly, as we say in Ecuador, our ñaños!
Without a doubt, it is of great value to cover the great sporting eventPancho says. “First, because I love my country. Second, because I want Ecuador to always be in the elite of the big tournaments. And third, because the country has a high level of exposure in fairs where our things are shown and people are beginning to be interested”.
At the closing of this note, our National Team had not officially qualified for the sporting event, but technically we are already one step away from going to the Middle East to dispute the long-awaited “cup of life” (as Ricky Martin sang in France 98). “We are just waiting for a formality so that Ecuador returns to play in a World Cup.”
Facets of a communicator
Qatar 2022 will also be an opportunity to connect with Molestina in their ways to deliver informative, interesting and even a little fun content at the same time.
These are the facets that he is delivering in the media, where he has worked as football commentator on radio (actually in Round) and television (Ecuavisa International, now GolTV)and how variety show hostas it does in From house to house (TC Television). Moreover, he was a competitor in the dance contest I’m the bestwith talents from the local show business.
“I think you have to have the shirts on well, I consider myself a person that when we have to see serious things, we do it seriouslywe must always inform with the truth of the facts and above all with respect”, highlights the journalist.
One of his teachers in his training in the media is today his partner, he shares. Is about Jorge Barraza, columnist for this newspaper. “I always liked talking to him and I think he gave me a lot of advice and one of them is ‘highlight the good and then the good and from the bad, the good’”.
For him, that means constructive criticism at all times, because he recognizes that his informative work, due to its sporting nature, also entertains. Even more so when consumed through social networks.
“People want to have a good time, it is the dynamic of social networks. So there is a combination of information, analysis and entertainment. That’s why we want them to live the football festival with good information and make them have a good time”, he says, especially when on virtual platforms the immediate reactions of the audience are not always what they expected. But that doesn’t discourage him.
“Is not easy… Many passions are generated in football, like when talking about politics, religion and other topics”, he admits. “But I tell you the truth, I am very used to it, many years have passed in what I do. That’s why I try not to get confused neither when they speak very well of me, nor when they speak very badly of me.… And I try to be self-critical, to be a good guy and have empathy. I am very grateful to the people, because of them I am where I am”.
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
