A “Raffut” report won the Prix Varenne

Thierry Futeu agreed to entrust his story to Fermin de la Calle, correspondent in Madrid for the magazine “Raffut”, the magazine of the “Sud Ouest” group dedicated to rugby. His story was published in August 2024 in the ninth issue of our magazine. And at the beginning of November, after moving our readers, he touched the jury of the Varenne foundation.

“This report is the odyssey of a Cameroonian boy, written by a Spanish journalist and published in a French magazine. Undocumented journalism. I would like to thank the Varenne Foundation, and especially the jury, for their courage in choosing this work; “Titi”, for his generosity in sharing his experiences with me, and “Raffut”, for opening his pages to me and giving me the right to cook up stories there”, reacted the winner, Fermin de the Calle.

“As unexpected as it is stimulating”

“I am touched by the fact that this prize is that of the regional press, the one which introduced me to journalism and which kept me in the profession. My first love. The real one,” added the journalist, also author of books on rugby, including the historical atlas “Con fina desobediencia”, published by “Libros del KO”.

“Regarding the prize, I would say what Woody Allen said when receiving the Princess of Asturias: “I know I don’t deserve it, but neither does the diabetes I suffer from.” This reward is as unexpected as it is stimulating. I believe that we all, like “Titi”, have a story to tell, and I am convinced that the pen is more powerful than the pavement,” concluded Fermin de la Calle.

As a reminder, the Varenne Foundation prizes have been a benchmark competition in the world of media in France since 1989. This year, 561 candidates tried their luck in the seven categories of the competition, according to the press release issued by the organizers.

The awards ceremony will take place on December 18 at the TF1 headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt.