The sports reporter was given preference over Béla Réthy, who has been allowed to take over every final that ZDF has shown since 1996.
England and Italy will meet in the final of the European Football Championship on Sunday evening. Now the ZDF surprised with the announcement that Oliver Schmidt will comment on the game. At his side, the expert Sandro Wagner works for the TV broadcaster. The ZDF sports director Thomas Fuhrmann confirmed to the German press agency.
For Schmidt it is a first for the final at a soccer tournament. The 49-year-old had his first big outing for the second at the 2010 World Cup. He has been working for ZDF since 1995, initially as a freelancer and later as an editor. In addition to his work as a live reporter, the broadcaster also uses him sporadically as a presenter of “sports studio” programs.
Schmidt replaces Béla Réthy, who has accompanied each of the six finals since 1996, which ZDF showed in consultation with ARD. His last appearance at this year’s European Championship was the semi-finals between England and Denmark on Wednesday. The 64-year-old will soon be working as a live reporter at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. There he will, among other things, comment on the opening ceremony. Réthy’s last soccer tournament for ZDF will be the soccer World Cup in Qatar at the end of next year.
© SZ / dpa / hy