L'Équipe du Soir Returns Without Duluc, Penot and Le Seviller After Summer Overhaul

Vincent Duluc, Hervé Penot and Tanguy Le Seviller will not appear in the credits of the new season of L’Équipe du Soir, which returns this Tuesday at 22:50. Their departures, confirmed in recent hours, bring to several dozen the number of historic commentators benched before the talk show’s return.

Duluc, 63, a prominent figure in the football section of daily newspaper L’Équipe, announced his departure on X with a touch of irony: “Most of the time, I’m not mentioned among those no longer invited to L’Équipe channel, and that’s almost insulting. But me too, like my friends. Thanks to everyone.” Hervé Penot, meanwhile, reflected on seventeen years on air: “That’s a wrap. We had a blast for 17 years on L’Équipe du Soir, we brought Patrick Juvet back into the spotlight, shone a light on African football. Thanks to everyone for everything, your feedback, agreements or disagreements that made the debates so rich.”

Their departures add to those announced earlier in the summer of Johan Micoud, Eric Blanc, Raymond Domenech, Jérôme Alonzo, Grégory Schneider, Sébastien Tarrago, Régis Testelin and, on Monday, Bernard Lions. So many faces associated with the program’s identity since its early years.

Olivier Ménard retains the hosting role, but the panel is largely renewed, notably with the arrival of Nicole Abar and Héloïse Kane. Maël Seror, the channel’s editorial director, embraces the change: “The show remains one of debate and analysis, but we wanted to freshen it up a bit, give it new energy. Having substance is its DNA. On the other hand, we also want smiles and emotion when talking about football.”

The scale of the overhaul is concerning some of the show’s loyal audience, who fear the program may lose the flavour of its usual clashes by changing so many faces in a single off-season.