More and more on TV

Women as a direct hit for “King” soccer

Alina Marzi (center) and Kimberly Budinsky (right) present in Austria, Maria Luisa Jacobelli (left) in Italy.(Bild: instagram.com/alinamarzi, instagram.com/marialuisajacobelli_, Scharinger © 2024, Gerhard Dittrich)

More and more women are appearing in front of the camera in sports reporting. Some cause scandals - but many shine with their expertise.

There was a huge outcry in Germany when Claudia Neumann became the first woman to commentate on a live international soccer match in 2011, and she also went on air for men's matches on ZDF during the 2016 European Championship. Today, women in soccer have long been part of everyday life in front of and behind the camera - some also make headlines outside of their job.

Like Diletta Leotta, wife of former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius. The model has been working as a presenter for the streaming service DAZN since 2018 and can be seen on Serie A and Champions League broadcasts. In 2016, the law graduate caused a stir when her cell phone was allegedly hacked and private nude photos went viral - which turned out to be photomontages.

In a hotel with Totti?
Maria Luisa Jacobelli, Italian journalist and presenter, is also making headlines. She was a single seductress on "Temptation Island" and was last seen entering a hotel with Francesco Totti and leaving just under an hour later. "Two plus two is always four, if there are photos, it's obvious," says Jacobelli, who also claims to have had a relationship with Kylian Mbappé: "It lasted a few months. We were two young people, then had other priorities in life."

Another familiar face is Valentina Maceri, who even played in the Champions League in 2012/13. Since 2023, she has been part of the presenting team for the Champions League broadcasts for the Swiss pay TV channel BLUE and regularly presents the Champions League highlight shows for DAZN.

In Austria, presenters prefer to score points with quick-wittedness and expertise rather than scandals, so Kimberly Budinsky (Sky), Alina Marzi (Servus TV), Alina Zellhofer, Kristina Imhof (both ORF) and Elisabeth Gamauf-Leitner (Canal +) are popular with interviewees and fans alike.