Martin Minha: Premier League football presenter? A dream come true! I have players in Fantasy that I like

Martin Minha. Since the current season part of the CANAL+Sport team. In a primarily presenter role he has been with the cameras directly at Old Trafford or Goodison Park. What does he say about the atmosphere of the Premier League, his job or, Erling Haaland’s rocket start or about the Fantasy Premier League game?

Before the current season, you became part of the CANAL+Sport team, which is the only sports channel in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with the rights to broadcast the English Premier League. With what expectations did you accept the job of a football presenter?

First of all, I took it without exaggeration as a dream come true. On the other hand, because this is a project that is being built from scratch, I didn’t have any extra high expectations. I trusted the initial interviews and with each rehearsal in the studio, I started to gain confidence and trust in the whole team.

But I couldn’t say no to the Premier League. I’ve had a relationship with it since I was ten years old, when I started flying to England regularly.

The opening six rounds are behind us. What are you enjoying most about the job so far?

Definitely the close-knit group of enthusiastic and hard-working people who are trying to do something that hasn’t been done before in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

If you had to make a guess now, who do you think will fight for the title and who will fight to save themselves?

Before the season I predicted a similar battle for the title as last season and I still stand by that…despite Liverpool’s very shaky start to the first few games.

I predicted Brentford, Bournemouth and Southampton for relegation. Now it looks more like Leicester, but I expect a change of manager there and a big bang in the transfer market in January.

Been watching the Premier League and football in general for a long time. As you mentioned, you’ve got your dream job at the moment…

I’m sure I do. But I already have other “dreams and goals” in my head that could push the project even further. But we are sticking to the motto “step by step” and I think we are doing pretty well so far (laughs) ..

CANAL+Sport was the first on the Czechoslovak scene to bring cameras directly onto the turf of the most prestigious football league in the world and you were there. How much did you enjoy these moments?

When I got within a metre or two of the players on the pitch… I kept repeating in my head: ‘Yes, concentrate on getting in, but enjoy it!’… Those were moments I will probably never forget. To not hear my own words, to have a full Old Trafford or Goodison Park in front of me, but at the same time just focusing on the camera and the interviewee was a huge challenge.

In the pre-match interviews you had the opportunity to interview Kevin Campbell and Mikael Silvestre, two great football personalities. How did these interviews come about?

I already had an outline in my head a few hours before kick-off that I wanted to stick to. In the end, I changed it slightly thanks to the great openness of both Kevin Campbell and Mikael Silvestre. Both of them are not only great former football players, but also already big pros in the media business.

Not every athlete is ideal to interview, some individuals answer with bare sentences. However, the two mentioned had a lot to say.

Yes. I can’t say I’m surprised by that. I like listening to both of them myself and as a football fan on Talk Sport radio, for example, but I was pleased with how human they were even at half-time. They both came up to me in the press centre, we exchanged two or three sentences, wished each other a good experience watching the second half and said goodbye after the final whistle.

You, as a Liverpool fan, were present at the Merseyside derby, where there is only one goal for both camps, always to beat their eternal rival. How did you like the atmosphere and how would you compare it to the Manchester United – Arsenal game?

I was a bit surprised by the silence around Anfield Road before and after the game. For example, in my favourite pub, The Park, I sat almost alone after the Merseyside derby. The locals say the current crisis is affecting football. Some businesses around both stadiums in Liverpool are only really opening on match days anymore. On the other hand, outside Old Trafford was packed the day after the game.

Organised stadium tours were sold out and there were queues outside the official Megastore. Manchester United is still one of the biggest football clubs in the world with its fan base and this weekend proved it. However, the atmosphere during the match was also great thanks to the Arsenal fans. The London club is experiencing a revolution and the positive mood is finally being felt among Gunners supporters.

How often do you get to go inside the stadiums and behind the scenes?

Obviously my ambition is to be in England as often as possible. I think that’s the only way to experience the true meaning of football in the islands. Plus, you get knowledge and experience at the source that you can’t get at home on TV. That’s it.

In addition to the aforementioned matches, an avid fan of English football can regularly watch Match Time, Premier Club talk shows, Fantasy Show or other accompanying programmes about the Premier League. The selection is really varied.

That’s what we try to do. We want to entertain the viewer who wants to absorb the Premier League as deeply as possible (Match Time, Premier Club), but at the same time we want to make the younger, competitive audience happy (Fantasy Show).

I’d like to dwell on the Fantasy PL, which is played by millions of people around the world. You have been playing this game for more than ten years. How has your strategy evolved in that time? How much time do you spend on picking the perfect eleven?

You know, for me, the only opponent in recent years has been my uncle, who lives in England, and thanks to whom I was able to get to know the best football league in the world as a child. But the truth is that with the launch of CANAL+Sport, the so-called “Fanta” is taking on a whole new dimension.

We have an internal league at work that is dealt with on an almost daily basis. I have to think a lot more about the line-up, but I still have players I like. For example, you won’t find Haaland with me just on principle…(laughs).

How are you doing in the current season and which player do you rely on the most?

In the mentioned league among the CANAL+Sport staff I am currently in second place behind Bobby Zlámal…I am only two points behind. This means that I have everything under control and I will be happy to win next May (laughs)

At the moment, I’ve been relying on H since the beginning of the season. Kane, whom I have made captain after the first four relatively unsuccessful rounds of Salah.

What do you think is absolutely key in this game?

Not to go crazy.

I’d close with the Erling Haaland theme. Why don’t you have him in your team?

Simply because everybody has him in their team.

Do you think he will maintain his standard from the beginning of the season and become the king of the Premier League scorers, but also the Champions League?

I didn’t expect him to catch on this quickly, but seeing him today, I’d be willing to bet that he’ll dominate the king of goal scorers not only in the Premier League, but in the whole of Europe this season.