Meet ITV VAR expert Christina Unkel – ex-referee part of the punditry team at Euro 2024
CHRISTINA UNKEL has been performing brilliantly in her role as refereeing analyst for ITV during Euro 2024 – and will be part of the coverage throughout the tournament.
Although she is new to these shores, the American has had a formidable career both in the middle and off the pitch.
Unkel is a former referee who took charge of games Stateside.
She was a Fifa-licensed referee before hanging up her whistle and making a move into media.
Unkel, who has also worked as the president of the Tampa Bay Sun, replaces Mark Clattenburg as ITV‘s refereeing analyst for Euro 2024.
The 37-year-old analyst has become a hugely popular figure for doing the same job on American TV.
Full list of ITV Presenters and Pundits
Presenters – Mark Pougatch, Laura Woods.
Pundits – Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Graeme Souness, Eni Aluko, Ange Postecoglu, Danny Rohl, Christina Unkel.
Co-commentary – Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist, Andros Townsend.
Commentary – Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesly, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen, Joe Speit.
Champions League Experience
She is a refeering analyst on the CBS Champions League show, which has soared in popularity on both sides of the pond.
Unkel regularly features alongside host Kate Abdo, Thierry Henry, Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher.
As part of ITV’s pundit line up, she will line up alongside the likes of Laura Woods, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Gary Neville.
According to her website, Unkle also has a career as a litigation attorney, focusing on “complex business and construction litigation” with a focus on sports law – she is also a committee member of the US National Soccer Hall of Fame.
She also played football at the collegiate level before moving into the professional game as a referee.
As well as working for ITV and CBS, Christina previously worked at Fox Sports and Paramount+ and has also been a journalist for The Athletic.
Entrepreneur
She describes herself as an entrepreneur and has co-founded multiple businesses, including Scorch Fitness and the Deadlift Effect, sports science and strength training firms.
Christina, who also regularly appears as a speaker at corporate events, graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic, the Stetson MBA Program and Stetson Law.
She is married to Ted, with the couple having one daughter, Quinn.