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FIFA honour for veteran football writer

Former Belfast Telegraph sports editor Malcolm Brodie has been honoured by FIFA for his achievement in covering 13 World Cups for the paper.

He was presented with the Jules Rimet Award, named after the founder of the World Cup to mark the FIFA Centennial year.

Recieving the award during a ceremony at the Belfast Telegraph’s headquarters, Malcolm was joined by footballing heroes such as Harry Gregg and Gerry Armstrong, along with colleagues including editor Edmund Curran and his predecessor Roy Lilley, who had all gathered to pay tribute.

He also received messages of congratulation from FIFA president Sepp Blatter, and former Northern Ireland managers Billy Bingham, Bryan Hamilton, Lawrie McMenemy and Sammy McIlroy.

  • Malcolm (centre) with former Northern Ireland International Gerry Armstrong and Edmund Curran
  • Malcolm told HoldtheFrontPage: “I feel pride not only on a personal level but also that Northern Ireland has been recognised in this way and for the Belfast Telegraph, to which I am grateful to for providing the platform for covering these tournaments.

    “The World Cup is the supreme tournament in football.”

    The veteran journalist, who was sports editor at the Telegraph for more than 40 years before retiring in 1991, covered his first World Cup in 1954 in Switzerland.

    Since then he has travelled to Sweden, Chile, Mexico, Germany, Argentina, Spain, Italy, the USA, France and Japan to report on the tournament, and is already preparing to travel to Germany to cover his 14th World Cup next year.

    Malcolm, (78), joined the Belfast Telegraph in 1943 and at first covered general news and local politics before turning to sport.

    Before becoming sports editor in 1949 he also spent time as editor of Ireland’s Saturday Night.

    He was awarded an MBE in 1979 and three years ago received the Golden Boot Award from FIFA for services to football.

    Since his retirement from the Telegraph he has continued to cover Irish and international football on a freelance basis for several newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph, the Sun and the News of the World.