A group of female football presenters have been called out by a colleague who has criticised them for their ‘vulgar’ outfits.
Italian presenters Eleonora Incardona, 34, Giusy Meloni, 26, Diletta Leotta, 33, who is married to former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, and Marialuisa Jacobelli, 33, have gained global recognition through their Club World Cup coverage for DAZN.
These presenters work for the Italian division of the broadcaster’s football coverage yet have faced criticism from fellow football presenter Valentina Maceri, 31, who covers the Champions League for Swiss broadcaster Blue.
She said the quartet’s outfits demonstrated little professionalism and said they ‘lack style and class’.
Maceri has authored a book titled ‘F*** Female Empowerment: The Great Mistake of Modern Feminism,’ where she expresses: ‘Personally, I find that the way female reporters present themselves on the sidelines in Italy can sometimes be on the edge.’
Now, in a new interview, she has launched a fresh attack on the presenters for their choice of attire.
Eleonora Incardona has come in for criticism for her choice of outfits during broadcasts
Giusy Meloni is seen here at the San Siro ahead of an AC MIlan fixture
Diletta Leotta is another of the DAZN Italy team who have attracted attention
Marialuisa Jacobelli completes the team of broadcasters – who have been rebuked by a colleague for their fashion choices
Valentina Maceri, who works for Swiss broadcaster Blue, has criticised the Italian quartet for their choice of outfits
She told BILD: ‘If you want to speak on an equal level with players and officials, it’s not conducive.
‘Incardona mainly presents the betting odds. And she does it very sexy. Sometimes vulgarly.’
Her comments come after Incardoni received backlash for her choice of outfit while carrying out presenting duties.
She gave numerous striking poses in a striped cream suit that was complete with a matching bra as she prepared for television coverage of PSG’s semi-final against Bayern Munich at Camping World Stadium in Orland, Florida.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday afternoon, she wrote: ‘Bye bye Orlando. Heading to New York City’.
Another picture showed her smiling alongside Ainhoa Perez, who has become a familiar face on DAZN for their coverage of LaLiga.
Reacting to Incardona’s post, detractors criticised what they perceived to be as an unprofessional appearance from the Italian.
One user wrote: ‘I remember your recent interview where you said you are tired of being judged just because of your physical appearance.
Incardona, 34, gave numerous striking poses in a striped cream suit during coverage of the Club World Cup semi-finals
Another picture showed her smiling alongside Ainhoa Perez, who has become a familiar face on DAZN for their coverage of LaLiga .
‘Of course if you show up to the pitch wearing a bra’.
A second added: ‘[You’re] working not at the beach. Out of place.’
A third commented: ‘You’re one of the reasons why this competition is worth following’.
While the Club World Cup has come in for criticism for being hosted during the middle of summer in the United States, Incardona has gone viral throughout the tournament.
Television presenter Diletta Leotta has worked on the touchline as a host for DAZN’s Serie A coverage in her native Italy.
Leotta married Karius in 2024 but was recently accused by her ex-colleague Federico Balzaretti’s wife of ‘putting her a** in his face’.
Balzaretti’s wife, ballerina Eleonora Abbagnato, claimed a ‘beautiful woman’ with ‘curves’ had made her ‘jealous’ with the scandalous alleged act – without specifically naming Leotta.
Now later confirmed on Italian TV that her comments were targeted at Leotta – and that she has previously warned her over her behaviour.
Diletta Leotta, the wife of Loris Karius, has responded to the accusation she had ‘put her a** in the face’ of an old broadcasting colleague
Ballerina and creative director Eleonora Abbagnato implied that the television presenter had prompted a jealous rage in her
Leotta and former Juventus and Roma star Federico Balzaretti previously worked together for DAZN’s Serie A coverage
‘Yes, that woman was Diletta Leotta. I love my husband like the first day and I’m jealous,’ Abbagnato told Storie di donne al bivio via Chi magazine.
‘In Milan, some time ago, I happened to meet Leotta who, working at Dazn with Federico, seemed to have excessive familiarity with him.
‘I immediately took off and introduced myself in a very formal way: “Pleased to meet you, I’m his wife”.
‘Diletta has those curves that I don’t have, but it was the memes that were circulating on the web, depicting her and my husband in love, that drove me crazy.
‘I respect my husband, I trust him, he loves me like when we met, but we are so good together also because I am very careful about anything that could alter our understanding.
‘Between her and Federico there has never been anything other than work, but Diletta is an exuberant woman, sure of her charm and I wanted to make things clear immediately. The wife is me and that’s it.’
