Marcel Reif leaves Sky: A football commentator who splits the audience – SPIEGEL ONLINE

To the business card Marcel hoop it belonged always to point with some pride that he had been brought against the fans of FC Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund both hostility. That’s what he himself understood in a sector in which the sports reporters are still assigned to a particular association as the highest accolade.

When it was reported on Friday also at Spiegel Online that frost gives up his job as a live commentator in football broadcaster Sky after 17 years, ruled a reader in SPON-Forum: “One can also once again – regardless of the opponents – games from BVB ankucken without running the risk of having to turn off the sound. ” And right below it the next: “Finally we watch the games on Sky FCB without is that permanently tries frantically rumzumäkeln at Bayern.”

Reif has his opponents made easy not to like him. Because he is in all the years on the microphone, only at the ZDF, then at RTL, most recently at Sky was unlike many, than most others. The now 66-year-old has yet been socialized professionally in a time when the quality of sports coverage has not yet calculated on television after decibels. The blatant’s always gone off him. At the Hamburg fish market he probably would have brought with it’s type not a single eel among the people. But the people that were never hoop genuine partner.

Always nice to distance

Any Volkstribunhafte him has always been downright vulgar, he has perceived as zoom schmeißend , and the frost has not only indicated, he has emphasized. He prefers playing with undulating language speaking professionals happy with the distancing “of sports companion Hummels” on, he insisted on years later, the former national coach, which all called with the nickname Berti to talk to his baptismal name Hans-Hubert Vogts, making it almost already a mania was.

And if he, a game commented with his nasal voice, which threatened at times to tilt the slightly oily, which was not his demands, you could get the impression that the commentator Reif was downright insulted personally, that he has not the product has been set before, this was it appropriate. Football had to be with him grand opera, in games of FC Barcelona one noticed a sudden with him an almost childlike enthusiasm for how beautiful football can be. And sometimes they even in parts of the FC Bayern.

Reif was not only rejected, it was even hated. Recently, more than ever. This had not only to do with the fact that journalists, even sports journalists feel the lack of trust that under the slogan has Lies press economy. That Reif partout not like to make in common with its subject has, let him be in addition to relatively easy target. He acts as a those from up there, sitting on his throne commentators, dripping sarcasm about the secreting what is happening there with him. And the still allowed the arrogance, malicious tweets, which are addressed to him to read.

The focus of the critics

In fact, he may have overdone it a bit with the pose of the persecuted journalists Star, which all want to the leather. Television commentators have always been more than others, more as we Schreiber, the public criticism, not least of colleagues criticism. For this they are now once again in the spotlight, to enjoy in return the privileges of prominence. They are the stars of the industry, and about the stars pours a bucket more than about others. The fact that this has become through the Internet not less, but more, He has some on his older days circumvent learn. Perhaps Marcel Reif had it, no more desire. He can finally say with complete justification that he shall no longer necessary. is

Eitel it to self-love, one has accused him. But honestly: How are journalists can not be said that? Even more so if he stands in front of the camera while watching TV. Lustlos he had shut commented his games in recent years, even as a reproach. And let’s face it: When he refused, hochzujazzen a tired kick to classic or delicacy for tactics and friends, that was ultimately only the customer in mind. That he could with the data survey of football no longer do much and with advancing age also like underwent him the confusion of player names, that was probably like that. He may have even noticed that the time is not now is the worst thing to call it quits.

After a good 30 years Reif is probably going to do something else than from his home in Zurich, Dortmund, Munich, Barcelona or fly in Manchester and comment on football games. He leaves us Wolf foot. Marcel Reif has certainly considered better than others. He is well.