There may be no Irish presence on the pitch at the World Cup in Qatar, but that hasn't stopped some Irish fans from making their mark on the world's biggest tournament.
We know that, any time Ireland qualify for a major tournament, we can always look forward to rave reviews of the fanbase making themselves known in far off lands, and that there is always a humorous incident or two to report back from the host nation.
Even without the national team competing in the World Cup, we now have one from Qatar 2022.
In a clip shared to Twitter on Tuesday, an Irish fan gatecrashed a segment on what appears to be French station Canal+, in order to make a hilarious exclamation to the camera.
Canal+ given brilliant interruption by Irish fan in Qatar
In a segment broadcast earlier this week, French national broadcast Canal+ were speaking to fans on the ground at the World Cup, and were midway through a chat with one French fan when they received an unexpected interruption.
A fan wearing an Irish football jersey stormed up to the camera and shouted into the mic, "Je suis une baguette!" - translated into French, it means "I am a baguette!"
« Je suis une baguette » 🇮🇪 🥖 🤣😭 pic.twitter.com/6sO5qz60uQ
— Pierre-Antoine Damecour (@padamecour) November 29, 2022
The look of glee on the man's face as he races off after his exclamation is the highlight of the clip, though we feel a bit for the Frenchman being interviewed. His response (in French) is hard to decipher, but he appears to take it on the chin well.
The clip was widely shared on Twitter on Wednesday morning, with even BBC host Gary Lineker retweeting the video with several laughing emojis.
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) November 30, 2022
Who is this boy in green? https://t.co/Nw61t0cv4X
— George Hamilton (@HamiltonRTE) November 30, 2022
A gentle reminder that we are the greatest nation on God's Earth. https://t.co/H4Vw6wdaEG
— Colm Tobin (@colmtobin) November 30, 2022
Gianni Infantino: today I feel baguette https://t.co/eYbDhu9tc7
— Joe Pagnelli (@joepagnelli) November 30, 2022
Remarkable scenes as Republic of Ireland, who didn't qualify for the World Cup, win the World Cup. https://t.co/4cMdIeb7NT
— Ryan Benson (@RyanRyanBenson) November 30, 2022
Me trying to order food in France when hungover https://t.co/NMLcmR1KBb
— Fiona Small (@FionaSmall) November 30, 2022
Trying to get a chicken fillet roll in the Westmoreland Street Londis at 4.07am, circa 2011. https://t.co/KVHkRVcb8I
— Dublin By Pub (@dublinbypub) November 30, 2022
It's amazing to see an Irish fan become a cult hero of the World Cup, even when our team sadly didn't manage to make it to Qatar. It is a testament to the craic brought to tournaments by Irish fans.
A minor and unappreciated detail is that, in the very first frame of the video, even more Irish fans can be spotted in the background, with two fans wearing retro Offaly and Wexford jerseys stood directly behind the French fan.
This rogue Canal+ guest and his national comrades are not the first Irish fan to be spotted at the World Cup in Qatar. At last week's game between Belgium and Canada, an Offaly jersey was spotted right behind the goal.
Whaddaya think @ShaneLowryGolf
The Faithful out in force in Qatar 😅 pic.twitter.com/9aKWRpFyl9— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 23, 2022
Either this is the same Offaly fan as was spotted on Canal+, or the Faithful County are simply taking over the World Cup.
SEE ALSO: Antony Slams Air Conditioning In Qatar World Cup Stadiums
