Martin Tyler reflects on 'extraordinary legacy' of Les and Johnny

Esteemed commentator Martin Tyler has lavished heartfelt praise on SBS icons Les Murray and Johnny Warren for the impact the duo had both in his life and on the Australian football community.

Read the full interview between Lucy Zelic and Martin Tyler .

Speaking with Lucy Zelic, Tyler recalled some of his fondest memories of the pair and spoke at length of their friendship forged through a love of the world game.

Colleagues across countless FIFA World Cups for SBS, Tyler, Les and Johnny covered some of the greatest moments in international football history, and though they are no longer with us today, it is because of them the 74-year-old continues his craft.

"They used to walk a lot," Tyler told Zelic.

"When we were doing World Cups, they would walk away and I'd still be jogging but I used to want to walk with them because of their love for the game.

"For Les, I'm not a great one on pronunciation, I really try to do it, not many people bother now, maybe I'm out of touch with the way commentary is now.

"I like it to be the names as they are pronounced in their own land and Les as a Hungarian growing up in Australia, had obviously factored in some anglicisation, but he was pure.

"His voice on those city openers we used to have for the World Cups, where we brought people to where we were in the way the television can do - the modulation of his voice was amazing.

"We used to talk about how we're going to pronounce these names and he would be the governor.

"Occasionally I'd say 'in England, we're calling him this, do you mind if I do that?’. I had a huge respect for that, he was a lovely warm guy.

"Johnny, obviously with the playing pedigree brought another dimension to it and he was in love with South American football.

"I think he was one of those that wasn't too pleased that England beat Belgium [laughs]. I may be doing his memory a disservice.

"But, they brought the world game to Australia in so many ways and that legacy is extraordinary.

"I don't know what brought them together in the first place, some SBS executive presumably can take all the credit but it was a perfect match.

"One memory I have of Johnny was the team sheet for the 98' World Cup Final where Ronaldo was in, and then out, and in again, and I was rushing up and down the steps with these different team sheets and he was live on the air, back to the studio going 'no, no, it's different again now' and Johnny was sort of looking at me with these startled eyes [laughs].

"Great, great people. It's always lovely to talk to you and to talk to SBS but in a way, I want to do it for them because I'm lucky enough to still be here and keep passing on the message.

"Be with us, it is the world game, it doesn't mean the other games aren't important, the other codes - no one's tried to make this a restricted monopoly.

"There's plenty of space for the other sports but the world game is a game because of its simplicity and because it brings communities together.

"It stops wars, occasionally it's created wars, [laughs] but it does have a fantastic force for good around the whole world."


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Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Tour de France, Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Dakar Rally, World Athletics / ISU Championships (and more) via SBS On Demand – your free live streaming and catch-up service.
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4 min read
Published 17 April 2020 4:34pm
By SBS The World Game
Source: SBS


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