Who is Christina Unkel? American rules analyst and VAR expert adds insight for ITV during Euro 2024

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Viewers in the UK have enjoyed the addition of a new voice to ITV’s Euro 2024 coverage, with Christina Unkel making a positive first impression.

American football viewers will be familiar with former top official Unkel, who has been a regular part of CBS broadcasts covering the sport in recent years.

But for most people in the UK, the 37-year-old is a new face as ITV looks to provide expert insights into the refereeing during the tournament.

The presence of an ex-referee as part of a broadcast team has become increasingly common over the past decade, with former Premier League official Peter Walton becoming a BT Sport/TNT Sports stalwart, and Mike Dean taking on a permanent role at Sky Sports after he retired last year.

The advent of the video referee (VAR) in football has created more opportunities for former referees to explain decisions made on the pitch.

Unkel, a former collegiate soccer player in the United States, is an experienced former FIFA referee who began refereeing at the age of 10.

Unkel is a licensed trial attorney and was a sought-after analyst during the 2019 Women’s World Cup for Fox Sports. He has worked as a columnist for The Athletics And CBS Sport about referees and legal issues within the game.

She also operates within soccer in a very different capacity: In July last year, Unkel was named president of the newly formed Tampa Bay Sun FC.

The Florida club will play its first professional season in the inaugural season of the USL Super League, which kicks off in August.