Hello, this is my first column for The FA, so by way of an introduction my name is Dan Roan, and I’m a reporter for Sky Sports News.
Many of the stories I cover involve The FA, and I also report on every game that England’s Senior team plays. Each week I aim to shed some light on the world of sports news broadcasting, and the excitement and challenges a reporter faces doing this job.
I’m pleased to be writing this first dispatch from Munich in Germany. Ever since 2001 the Bavarian capital’s been a place dear to the hearts of all England fans of course, but I’m here on Champions League duty. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid play the second leg of their last 16 tie here this week; it’s a mouth-watering prospect between two European heavyweights, and I can’t wait. After Real’s thrilling 3-2 win over the German side two weeks ago, the tie is perfectly poised, and the decider could go either way.
Neither club are doing as well in their own domestic league as they’d like, but both boast an array of top-class talent, and for the neutral, it’s a game to really savour.
It’s good to be back in Munich; my last visit was during the World Cup when I covered the Semi-Final between Portugal and France. Once England had been knocked out, I was assigned the role of covering France for the remainder of the tournament, which brought me to the futuristic Allianz Arena. It became Bayern’s new home in 2005, replacing the old Olympic Stadium, the scene of England’s 5-1 triumph in 2001. It is without doubt the most beautiful stadium I’ve ever seen, and a fitting stage for this week’s game.
My job this week will be to cover the build-up to the game and then the match itself. Today I’ll be at Bayern’s training ground for a press conference with French defender Willy Sagnol and Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel. One of the challenges of covering two foreign teams like this is the language barrier, but I’ve interviewed both these players before and their English is excellent. Worryingly, I may need to employ my broken German tomorrow when I interview coach Ottmar Hitzfeld and captain Oliver Kahn!
Real Madrid also arrive tomorrow and I’ll get a chance to question coach Fabio Capello about David Beckham’s knee injury. The former England captain impressed in the first leg, and it would have been fascinating to see him in action this week. Unfortunately, this morning I awoke to news of the injury he sustained playing against Getafe last night. It's a cruel blow, just as he was pushing for a recall to the England squad, and changes the emphasis of our coverage of the game.
Even without Beckham on show this match could still be the most significant Champions League match of the week for England fans. Bayern’s Owen Hargreaves should shake off an ankle injury to play, and it’s no surprise that England manager Steve McClaren is expected to be in attendance.
Hargreaves seems to be back to his whole-hearted best, and with England’s crucial trip to Israel looming into view, the midfielder's recovery from a broken leg has come at just the right time.
Bayern versus Real is just one of the matches Sky are broadcasting live on Wednesday evening. I'll be interviewing players and coaches straight after the final whistle in what's known as the 'flash zone', and area near the players' tunnel for television interviews, and providing output for both Sky Sports and Sky Sports News.
This is the fourth Champions League match I’ve attended in Europe this season. I covered Arsenal’s group games in Hamburg and Moscow, and two weeks ago was with Chelsea in Porto. With so much at stake this is sport at its most competitive, and a great way of seeing Europe and top class sport at the same time.
As with The FA Cup back home, there’s a real sense of occasion at every match you attend, and now a place in the Quarter-Finals is at stake it’s more exciting than ever.
Dan Roan