Free croissants and Iran’s dissidents: the joys of covering France 98

In an extract from a new book, reflections on a manic World Cup schedule that included the famous Iran v USA encounter

USA v Iran, World Cup, Lyon, 21 June 1998

Every so often, when searching for something in the attic, I come across a grey box file with a red-and-white sticker advertising the Argentinian newspaper El Grafico stuck on the lid. Occasionally I open it and glance inside. Last weekend for the first time in many years I brought it down the ladder. It's sitting on my desk as I type this: dusty, giving off a musty smell of aged paper tinged - though perhaps I'm imagining this - with the scent of garlic and black tobacco.