Irish Examiner view: Merci beaucoup, Hervé Renard

There have been two major speeches during the Qatar World Cup. One made us squirm, but the Saudi Arabia coach's talk injected much-needed joie de vivre into the whole event

The half-time talk by Saudi Arabia's coach, Hervé Renard, during their triumph over Argentina instantly became one of the highlights of this World Cup.  Picture: Ricardo Mazalan/AP

The Saudi Arabians may not win the 2022 World Cup — in fact, let us stick our neck out and say definitively that they will not — but they could be on to something new, and potentially lucrative, in terms of spectator sport.

The half-time talk of their French coach, Hervé Renard, in their triumphant opening match against Argentina was hugely more entertaining than many games in the tournament to date.