There is no greater honour for any football commentator than to cover a World Cup in Brazil and the BBC’s Steve Wilson will be doing just that over the next four weeks.
A key part of the BBC’s commentary team for over a decade, Steve is the second longest-serving commentator on the current Match of the Day roster, behind the legendary John Motson, and he will commentating on many of the big games in Brazil.
World Cup 2014 will be Steve’s fifth as a commentator. He made his debut at the 1994 tournament in the United States for Capital Radio, before being called up to the BBC TV team for the first time in Japan/Korea 2002.
An ever-present with the BBC at major tournaments since, Steve will have the distinction of commentating on the BBC’s first live game of the 2014 World Cup on June 13, which sees a repeat of the 2010 final as defending world champions Spain take on the Netherlands.
He gives Sport On The Box his unique insights into the tournament, his expectations and outlines the meticulous preparations involved for a commentator covering football’s greatest showpiece, which kicks off on June 12.
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Follow Steve on Twitter: @SteveWilson1967
SOTB: What was your earliest World Cup memory, and what would you pick out as your personal highlights from your first three tournaments as a TV commentator?
Steve Wilson: My earliest memory of a World Cup was the final of 1974 between West Germany and Holland.
I watched it at my friend’s house and then we went into a field to re-enact it ourselves – I would have been nearly seven.
I can clearly remember the 1978 World Cup and being impressed by all the tickertape in Argentina and by Mario Kempes in particular and Arie Haan’s wonder goal against Dino Zoff.
In terms of World Cups I’ve covered for the BBC, one of my very first live TV commentaries being Brazil in 2002 when they played Turkey in a group game – Rivaldo did his play acting face-hold drop to the ground routine.
I had hardly done any live TV when I went to Korea/Japan so to commentate on Brazil in a World Cup was amazing.
Best game might be the semi-final of 2006 between Germany and Italy in Dortmund, one of the greatest games in one of the greatest grounds.
I also commentated on Germany against Argentina in Cape Town in 2010 when the Germans were sensational.
They had comfortably beaten England, despite all the nonsense you hear about Lampard’s non-goal, and then stepped up two gears by thrashing the Argentines who were a much, much better side then England.
You’ve just landed in Brazil. What are your first impressions?
It’s a remarkable country with extreme beauty and extreme poverty cheek by jowl. Always edgy, loud and colourful.
I was lucky enough to be at the Confederations Cup last year so I came to Brazil with a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Brazil on home turf are a formidable prospect. They have lost only one competitive game at home since in 1975!
The support they had last year was incredible, particularly in Belo Horizonte when they played Uruguay in the semi.
Each tournament presents different challenges for broadcasters both on and off the field. Compared to previous World Cups you’ve worked on, what will be the main ones that you and the BBC teams face in Brazil?
The challenges of Brazil are the enormous distances between venues and the massive differences in climate.
Our routine is to do a match one day and then travel the next so you have to choose your travelling times very carefully otherwise you’ll miss a game you really need to watch – hence a 4.00am departure to Rio on Saturday morning to ensure getting there in time to watch Colombia play Greece.
I commentate on Colombia against Ivory Coast so need to be in front of a TV in Rio by 1.00pm kick off time for their game against Greece.
There’s nothing worse than commentating on a country when you haven’t seen their previous game even on TV.
It’s logistically impossible to watch every game because you are certain to be on a plane or in a press conference or at a training session when some game is happening somewhere.
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How differently do you approach and prepare for World Cup compared to a regular Match of the Day?
The preparation involved for a World Cup as a commentator is immense.
For example, I have compiled a document of every game each finalist has played since the end of the 2010 World Cup with every goalscorer – just that took hours and that’s a tiny part of the homework.
You have to get the bulk of the work done before you arrive because once you are there you don’t have time.
I started preparing for this tournament pretty much as soon as countries began to qualify which was the Asian sides in May 2013.
That means I have spent hours researching all 14 teams I’ll see in the group stages and also most of the other 18 teams too, because I have no idea who’ll I’ll commentate on in the second round or beyond or what city I’ll be in.
Sometimes you might only get 36 hours notice to get from one city to another and prepare for a live commentary in the knock-out stage, and the worst case scenario is that it could be a game between two teams you’ve hardly even seen on the TV let alone play live.
I’ve gambled that Iran and Australia won’t get out of the group phase and my document on each of them is not much more than a a list of names and some info how they did in qualifying.
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Do you think current problems engulfing FIFA and the World Cup, not to mention the precarious political situation in Brazil and chaotic preparations, will overshadow the tournament?
I’m not sure how the protest will impact on the tournament.
It’s hard not to feel sympathy with people who live meagre lives in the shadow of some multi-million dollar stadium.
The most powerful banner I saw at the Confederations Cup last year was: “We want FIFA class schools and hospitals, not FIFA class stadiums and hotels”. So would I.
I was also shocked to be told that that an official Brazil Nike shirt would cost roughly what a Brazilian teacher might earn in a week.
No wonder a lot of people feel disenfranchised from the tournament.
I’m in Salvador at the moment and there is very little sign of any unrest though a march is planned before the Spain v Holland game.
Although there’s been no trouble here yet, it’s also surprisingly low key around town – almost as if people are waiting to see what happens before either embracing or rejecting the tournament.
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Which of the matches that you are down to commentate on during the group stages are you looking forward to most?
My World Cup starts with Spain v Holland and then continues with Argentina playing in the Maracana, so I certainly can’t complain about my matches.
I’ll probably do 13 matches here in total and sometimes it can the ones you least expect to be memorable which stick in the mind.
Somehow watching Iran play Angola in Leipzig in 2006 still strikes me as being one of those occasions which you’ll never forget – or repeat.
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Finally, who do you think will lift the trophy on July 13, and what’s your assessment of England’s chances?
Brazil have to be massive favourites. I think they’ll play Argentina in the final and Spain and Germany will be other semi-finalists.
Italy and France are my dark horses to reach the last four. Italy were very good in the Confederations Cup and that will help them.
If England get out of the group they have a good chance to reach the last 8, which would represent a major success.
Even if they go out in the group I’m glad that Roy Hodgson has largely given youth a chance, I hope he’s brave enough to start with plenty of the new faces.
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