On the »Sportschau« farewell to Matthias Opdenhövel: Chameleon of friendliness

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Moderator Opdenhövel: Simply create a nice atmosphere

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So I think that the fee payers should be allowed to have a say in certain decisions by the public broadcasters.

Not keeping Matthias Opdenhövel busy is like being carried my desk out of my apartment.

Or take the pictures off the wall.

The smiling Opdi is simply part of it, no matter what he says.

He smiles, gives Schweinsteiger the floor, takes it away from him in a friendly manner.

Don't want to know much.

Just want to create a nice atmosphere.

And then the game begins.

Matthias Opdenhövel, who is due to present the "Sportschau" in July after ten years, is soft, flexible and does not bother.

Some say that he was almost invisible even during his service.

A chameleon of friendliness.

But that is also an art.

Prepare the stage for the real heroes on the pitch.

What I want to say: I do not agree that Opdi no longer moderates the »Sportschau«.

Again and again he

Allegedly, he is supposed to have a second life on programs like "The Masked Singer".

Sounds like the ideal show for him.

I have to admit, I don't know the format at all.

Is the moderator perhaps masked beyond recognition?

Do you announce the artists under a camouflage hat?

So it would definitely be the ideal Opdi job: The masked moderator.

Let people guess which moderator is hiding under the mask.

And they will find with undiminished joyful surprise every week, just like me: It is him.

Again and again he.

Opdi actually had one of his biggest sports show appearances as an invisible person: A good year ago, he revealed the outcome of the top game between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich from the off.

The advertisement was already running in the picture, but his microphone was still open when he said: "This victory wasn't bad for the construction of the show." The result was an uproar on the Internet, "Weekend spoiled" was one of the friendliest comments. the ARD apologized.

And once he was a guest on the shanty show "Ina's Night".

Friendly, pleasant, inconspicuous as ever.

Once the director glared briefly on the bench, where traditionally the relatives of the guests always sit.

I don't know for sure either, but it could be that his wife was sitting there.

In any case, she looked like she was going to tuck him under her arm after his performance and put him back at home.

And he gave the impression that he was looking forward to it.

Esther Sedlaczek, who follows Opdenhövel, is of course also great.

The ARD chairman Tom Buhrow shortened the personnel quite tumb to the most obvious: For him it means that the "sports show" will be "more feminine".

In fact, you could watch Sedlaczek in recent years on the private broadcaster Sky, how she became more and more self-confident, more and more competent, more visible.

Asked more sharply and quickly in interviews, moderated expert panels confidently and decisively.

More and more journalistic, more present, more conspicuous.

Matthias Opdenhövel meanwhile continued to work routinely on his comfortable inconspicuousness.

And yet: I thought it was an immovable piece of furniture.

Once set up to last forever.

I was wrong.

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