Gerry Hadden

Gerry Hadden

Gerry Hadden reports for The World from Europe. Based in Spain, Hadden's assignments have sent him to the northernmost village in Norway to the southern tip of Italy, and just about everywhere else in between.

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French Puppet Show ‘Les Guignols de l’info’ Angers Spaniards

February 10, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment
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A parody on Spanish athletes such as tennis player Rafael Nadal by French TV show "Les Guignols de l’info" has triggered a spat between France and Spain. (Photo: YouTube grab)

A parody on Spanish athletes such as tennis player Rafael Nadal by French TV show "Les Guignols de l’info" has triggered a spat between France and Spain. (Photo: YouTube grab)

It’s been a tough week for Spanish sports. Cyclist Alberto Contador, the winner of multiple Tour de France races, was suspended from the sport for two years. The Court of Arbitration for Sports found him guilty of doping, or using performance enhancing drugs. The decision has caused an outcry in Spain. But now that furor has been overshadowed by, well, some French TV puppets. The Guignols have set off a diplomatic spat between Spain and France.

France’s Guignols are like a cross between Saturday Night Live and the Muppets: all satire and latex.

In a recent video parody of Spanish athletes, disgraced cyclist Alberto Contador sings that he’s got bull’s blood in his veins. Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal croons about his stash of clean blood hidden in his fridge.


This is daily fare on French TV, but here on the south side of the Pyrenees its touched a nerve. Nadal has been among the most outspoken. Maybe because of this second Guignols video which shows him urinating in the gas tank of his own car, then speeding off at 200 miles an hour.

“This isn’t an attack against me,” Nadal told reporters during training this week, “but an attack against Spanish sports and the Spanish people.”

As such, Spain’s foreign minister has duly chimed in. Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said official complaints had been sent to French media outlets, and especially to Canal Plus, which hosts the Guignols.

But why the doping parody to begin with? The cyclist Contador was recently busted. But generally speaking Spanish athletes don’t get caught more than others. The crux of the matter seems to be Spain’s athletic success. It makes some French suspicious. In recent years Spain has come to dominate soccer, basketball, tennis and cycling. Impossible, goes the innuendo, without a little synthetic pick-me-up. For the Spanish, the French are just jealous.

One recent news report on Spanish public television pointed out how France hasn’t won a Tour de France since the 1980s, or even the French Open for that matter. Then the reporter rattles off a long list of Spanish victories.

Missing in this uproar is just how funny the Guignols’ rubber puppets are. Not to mention that they’re rubber puppets. Instead, Spaniards today are gloating over a damning piece of news next door.

A French prosecutor announced he was opening an investigation into Patrice Ciprelli, the husband and coach of legendary French cyclist Jeannie Longo. Ciprelli has admitted to purchasing the banned performance-booster EPO.

Discussion

20 comments for “French Puppet Show ‘Les Guignols de l’info’ Angers Spaniards”

  • Anonymous

    Here’s an idea: don’t get caught with suspicious and/or banned substances in your samples. Then the mean French should stop picking on you :)

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5DQNDOXLXLGDYZZM6DHXNYOCSM steve

      Hey dim bulb. We are talking about Nadal. More humble than roger Federer. Stupid head

  • Anonymous

    This is not against spanish sports but a critic toward doping : a french famous cyclist Jeannie Longo is mentionned during this sketch and you have to see all the other sketchs about Richard Virenque (another famous french cyclist with a lot of doping affairs), I can say without a doubt that they were very kind with the spanians here, comparing with the french one.
    Les guignols de l’info represents the cynical way of the french people, extremely caustical, but against everything and everyone, and even they are quite the opposite of racism and xenophia. Main problem here is that this TV show is made for french people, and when foreigners watch an abstract, they do not catch every sense of french cynical humour relieved by les guignols…

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5DQNDOXLXLGDYZZM6DHXNYOCSM steve

      Then don’t use one of the most beloved and respected athletes in the sport or as a matter of fact any of the sports. this should not be against any people. as a matter of fact you will prob find this in every country. Including yours whatever that is. 

  • Anonymous

     One advise to the French Canal + and rest of envious people, Just keep doing Les Grignols (puppets) as that is the only thing you do weel. Spaniards have won twice in Formula 1 racing (Alonso), 6 times French ope tennis(Nadal), 3 Tour de france (Contador), European soocer cuup (spain), basketball erupe cup, Barcelona FC has won so many cups I have already forgotten, and..if I keep going the little french will cry for years. Also, it appears that the french cannot keep up with their women’s sexual desire so they have asked for sub-saharan africans and Algerians to help them…pitiful.

    • Anonymous

       No you’re abslotultly right : sub-saharian africans and algerians are of better used in spain plantations and patchs, we can pay them for nothing… que viva Franco !

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/2EV4ZZRIC5WURUBG7PQU4M2P6Q Vincent

      Actually french people are laughing, not crying, that’s the difference between them and you. Take it easy man, it’s all a joke, and they made 10 times worse about the french Virenque, Deschamps, MAuresmo etc. 
      By the way, just to remind you that sport is not only a show and a media thing : look at that link. 
      http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clasificaci%C3%B3n_mundial_de_las_grandes_naciones_del_deporte

      • http://profile.yahoo.com/2EV4ZZRIC5WURUBG7PQU4M2P6Q Vincent

        About the immigration it is maybe because we actually have jobs in our country. 

  • Anonymous

    This article reminded me of what happened to the US Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps when it was reported that he smoked Marijuana. I’m sure other countries made fun of not only Phelps, but the US as a whole. I know our country made fun of him. It’s sad that Alberto Contador will have to deal with the pain of not competing and this French parody. Although he shouldn’t have done what he did, I still feel terrible for him. I’m sure the situation took a toll on his image but now that the French are making fun of him it’s probably ten times worse.

  • Anonymous

    I think that this is sort of rediculous. One because he should have done drugs, they’rejust wrong. I also think this is rediculous for who made the video because its pathetic. People make mistakes and Contador made a big one, no doubt. At one point in time karma is going to get these people back. I am a big believer in karma for even the littlest of things. But, if he does not want to be picked on, don’t give them things to pick on you for. If that happens and they still pick on you that just means they have nothing better to do and it’s a way for them to feel better about themselves.

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/2EV4ZZRIC5WURUBG7PQU4M2P6Q Vincent

      I will tell you what is really ridiculous : the spanish reaction is very pathetic since it is a JOKE, about some muppets. In the past, “les guignols” made bigger jokes about french and doping :  Richard Virenque (french cyclist caught), Deschamps (captain of the 1998 world cup and 2000 european cup), and Also Amélie Mauresmo (former n°1 female tennis) who always appeared in les guingols as a man. Now they also make fun of Jeannie Longo.  French people laughed a lot. Please spanish people, relax, and have fun jjajaja. Take it easy. French people love spain and spanish sport. I was in France In the last world cup, 95% of french people were supporting the spanish team. And there is no big rivality between France and Spain, in the point of view of France, like with England or Italy. 

  • Anonymous

    Primero, es malo que Alberto Contador use drogas durante los deportes. Además, es una lástima que España y Francia se estén peleando. Los “Guignols” (marionetas franceses) se burlan de las acciones de Contador. En el video, los muñecos son muy extraños. El programa es como “Saturday Night Live”, que tiene la intención de ser divertido. Sin embargo, Francia no estaba ofendiendo a Contador: estaban ofendiendo al país de España. En mi opinión, las bromas sobre las celebridades son normales, especialmente si lo hacen las drogas o cosas malas, pero es incorrecto de burlarse de todo el país.

  • Anonymous

    I feel bad for cyclist Alberto Contador for being suspended from the sport for two years. I do not believe it was right of him to be doping. I feel bad for him because France is now making fun of the situation. Yes he was wrong, but everyone makes mistakes, and I feel the French is making the situation worse. Two wrongs do not make a right.

  • Anonymous

    I feel really bad for Alberto Contador. Even though he was using drugs and its very wrong, I bet many athletes out there are using them also, people just haven’t found out about it yet. He should get some sort of punishment, but I think two years suspension is harsh. The video making fun of him is also just mean. Yes, he did do something wrong, but so does everyone else in one point of their life. Its not right to just start making fun of someone for one bad choice they made, but at the same time, he did make that choice so he will have to suffer the consequences.

  • Anonymous

    Si los atletas no usen drogas, no tengan este tipo de atencion.  No tengo simpatia por gente como Contador y Nadal…Si, otras atletas hacen drogas, pero estes atletas fueron capturado. Mala suerte, chicos. La proxima vez, estar limpios. 

  • Anonymous

    Es una lástima que muchos atléticos usan drogas.  En todos de los deportes, atléticos usan drogas y esto es mal.  Pienso que todos de los atléticos que usan drogas deberían recibir el mismo castigo.  Pienso que si una persona usa drogas, otras personas pueden bularse de esta persona.  Pero, es mal que bularse de un país en general.  Las bromas de celebridades son normal pero personas no deben bularse de todo un país.

  • Anonymous

    Este artículo es muy cómico, en mi opinión. El uso de drogas ilegales es una cosa terrible y mala, pero es un poco cómico que los franceses están haciendo una cosa grande porque de los españoles ilegales. Hay ironía porque una atlética francesa acaba de usar drogas ilegales, y los franceses son críticos de los españoles. Son hipócritas. La cosa entera es simplemente sobre la rivalidad entre Francés y España. Pero me gusta la canción del video mucho. Es cómica y pegadiza, y no puedo parar cantándolo. Pienso que yo debería gustarme el programa francesa “Guignols” porque me encanta SNL.

  • Anonymous

    Este articulo fue muy comico! Me recuerda como lo que le paso a Michael Phelps con su uso de drogas.  Muchas gente en los Estados Unidos dijeron cosas comicas sobre lo que el hizo.  Es triste que Alberto Contador va a tener que vivir con la memoria de esto pero el se lo hizo a el mismo.  Yo no me siento mal por el pero nadie merece esa  humillacion.  La vida de el ha cambiado para siempre y los frances se burlaran de el por mucho tiempo.

  • Anonymous

    Creo que este artículo es muy infantil. Creo que España es un país poderoso en los deportes y están orgullosos. Estoy de acuerdo en que Francia es, probablemente, celosa de todas las victorias que España tiene en muchos deportes diferentes. Si yo fuera un atleta español, estaría molesto por estas parodias, pero me gustaría tratar de ignorarlo. No es importante. Creo que todos se olvidan de esto en la próxima semana y no será más.

  • Anonymous

    Pienso que estos paises no deben ser demasiados seriosos sobre este video. Si una atleta como Contador usa drogas para mejorar su atletismo, entonces el merece las bromas y las parodias. No es justo a usar estas drogas a tener una ventaja. Este programa de television tiene el derecho a hacer chistes sobre estas atletas. Si Nadal no ha usado drogas, claro que es injusto a acusar esto. Pero estas personas no son seguras de la critica. Los espanoles estan “soplando esta fuera de proporcion.” Si Rafael Nadal actualmente tiene quince litros de sangre en el refrigador, el tiene problemas mas grande a preocuparse sobre.