La Mie CalineWorld Cup '98
We had some fantastic days in the pub during the '98 World Cup. I have been a football fan for as long as I can remember and to be in the actual host country for the duration of the competition was great crack.
Angouleme did not host any matches but the Scots were playing down in Bordeaux and quite a few of their supporters dropped in. Lionel, the head barman, saw one of their supporters playing a bagpipe on the street so he told me to go and offer a round of drinks for him and his mates in exchange for a few tunes that night - he came in that evening with half of Glasgow.
The atmosphere was great for all the French games, particularly in the later stages when the matches were closer. One French supporter assured me that France would not beat Italy as they (France) always fell at the final hurdle. I really should have bet with him on that.
The final was between France & Brazil and as Sunday was my normal day off work, I was hoping to go watch the match on the big screen at the town hall. But 'Le Slavedriver' realised that business would be good the night of the final, so I was stuck behind the bar all night. We usually close at 2 but that night we were still serving at 5am. I missed most of the game but I was able to follow the scores. I'd really love to have watched the game that night, but even being in France the night they won was quite an experience.
