Media attempts to troll rivals have a long and interesting history, but not all of them pan out. One recent example that certainly did not was controversial English tabloid The Sun running billboards in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower with lines like “It’s Gaul Over,” “Il Rentre Chez Nous” (“It’s Coming Home”), and more ahead of the England–France 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal clash Saturday:
The Sun newspaper has bought a billboard in Paris to taunt France fans ahead of tomorrow’s game vs England. Classless as ever. pic.twitter.com/Jl0M0QIIA4
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) December 9, 2022
Yes, France wound up winning that match 2-1 after Harry Kane‘s remarkable penalty miss, leading to remarkable baguette celebrations. And that wound up making those “It’s Gaul Over” billboards look pretty silly. Of course, this is far from the first embarrassment for The Sun, but it is still always notable to see another one for them. And while this is ultimately less significant for the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid than some of their past scandals, it is another black eye for the paper. And as for “It’s Gaul Over,” there might be a few notable cartoon characters with a comment on that, and on the historical relationships of France and Britain:
Following Saturday’s result, France will move on to face Morocco on Dec. 14 in the World Cup semifinals. Argentina will face Croatia in the other semifinal, which will take place on Dec. 13. The final will take place on Dec. 18. There’s no word on if The Sun will try any trolling before then.
[GFFN on Twitter]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.