{"id":53928,"date":"2024-06-27T12:56:27","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T10:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2063330"},"modified":"2024-06-27T14:55:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T12:55:49","slug":"christina-unkel-on-tv-referee-duty-and-analysing-her-husbands-mls-decisions","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/christina-unkel-on-tv-referee-duty-and-analysing-her-husbands-mls-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Christina Unkel on TV referee duty \u2013\u00a0and analysing her husband\u2019s MLS decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ITV’s Euro 2024 rules analyst has enjoyed a colourful career \u2013 including analysing her own husband’s refereeing decisions. <\/p>

By Jane Hill\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 27 June 2024 at 10:56 AM<\/p>

\n\n

This interview was originally published in\u00a0Radio Times magazine<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

At Euro 2024 we\u2019ve been treated to fresh talent both on the pitch and on television.<\/p>\n

Many viewers agree that ITV has made a winning start with the acquisition of refereeing and VAR analyst Christina Unkel, whose insights have cut through with impressive insider knowledge. It seems the former FIFA referee caught the bug very young.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played football since I was a young girl \u2013 my parents are from Central America and football was part of my family in Florida. When I was growing up there was no football on TV, men\u2019s or women\u2019s, but there would always be a soccer ball in the house, and we\u2019d go to the fields and set up some goals \u2013 it was part of our culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fell in love with refereeing when I was 10 years old. I was yelling at the officials on the pitch [as a player] and my coach told me to take the refereeing class or be quiet. I took the class!<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting my officiating licence really changed the trajectory of my life \u2013 you\u2019re essentially managing irate adults, coaches and parents, so it did a lot for me later in my career as an attorney. I did litigation and argued in the courtroom for 12 or 13 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only recent in Major League Soccer that you can get a full-time salary as an official, so while I was finishing my law degree I was paid next to nothing for my refereeing! But it was a way to stay part of the game after my university years.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first international was USA women [then the number one team] versus France and it was pretty mind-blowing. In my 20s as a FIFA referee, it was an honour to be on the field with some of the best players in the world. The Lionesses were always one of my favourite teams to officiate!<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2020, with COVID, I decided to go into TV punditry \u2013 taking the experience of being on the field and explaining the rules to football lovers like ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when her fellow pundits were men, and former players at that, her role must have required a great deal of diplomacy?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting predicament: how do you respectfully tell someone they\u2019re wrong without discrediting them? I was working in the US, for CBS and Paramount Plus<\/a>, and the producers liked how I handled it, so that opened opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to cover four UEFA European finals. I\u2019m a believer in listening. Some of the best players in the world have been yelling at me on the field and they don\u2019t even know the laws!\u201d<\/p>\n

$\"Christina$ \n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>