Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 3:48 PM• Yanick Vos • Last update: 15:56

Frank Snoeks last reported on behalf of the NOS at a final tournament on Sunday evening. The European Championship final between Italy and England was the 65-year-old football commentator’s last trick at a European Championship or World Cup. “But you are not completely rid of me yet! Next year I will just do Eredivisie and the Dutch”, Snoeks emphasizes.

Snoeks has reported on the global and European final tournaments for the past 21 years. He will no longer comment on the matches during the World Cup in Qatar next year. “The retirement age is there for a reason. Such a final tournament is physically very heavy with a lot of travel. It’s been nice. I also didn’t want to continue. But to finish at Wembley with England in the final is of course very special,” says Snoeks on his employer’s website.

Last Sunday there was no time at Wembley for Snoeks to reflect on his last game. “I had to walk from the hotel to the stadium through a sea of ​​people. The beer flew through the air, so I too could not escape a beer shower. My hotel was near Wembley, but it took me half an hour to get there. Total madness,” said Snoeks, who reported on a total of sixteen final tournaments.

Looking back on his career as a commentator on final tournaments, he will always remember the semi-final match between Brazil and Germany at the 2014 World Cup. “The best matches are matches that run completely differently than predicted in advance by all connoisseurs, analysts and know-it-alls,” says Snoeks. “Brazil-Germany was one such match. The fear of Brazil was enormous. In fact, they were already in the final. That game ended 1-7. Brazil was totally crushed. I really love that. That a match is completely different than expected.”

Snoeks has been subject to frequent criticism in recent years. Even after his last game, there was a lot of criticism on Twitter of the commentator, who himself received little from it. “I never started Twitter myself. I don’t have the illusion that everyone is curious about my opinion on every issue. And not the other way around at all,” he continues. “It is sometimes said to me when there are a lot of negative reactions to my comment. I never cared about that. I understand it very well, by the way. I also turn off the TV with certain commentators or presenters.”