A reaction video made headlines and sparked discussion for several weeks. Claudia Neumann had been leaked as the FC 25 commentator. What was already partly suspected has now been confirmed by YouTuber “Jibi”: It was an April Fool’s joke
A dark room – all you can see are a few flickering screens and silhouettes. Two voices can be heard: a supposed recording manager with a connection to EA SPORTS and Claudia Neumann. Or? A much-discussed question under a video by content creator “Jibi”.
The latter responded to the excerpts in question, which had allegedly been leaked. The fact that Neumann would be the new commentator in FC 25 quickly made the rounds – although there were also a few contradictions. The voice is said to be AI-edited, and it is also striking that the video was released on April 1. In a recently uploaded compilation of information about FC 25, “Jibi” confirmed what some had suspected: “It was an April Fool’s joke – nothing is official yet.”
Long commentary eras come to an end
So speculation continues as to which duo will be sitting at the digital microphone in the next installment of the series. Either way, it will take some getting used to, as Wolff-Christoph Fuss and Frank Buschmann have been sitting in “children’s rooms, playrooms and living rooms” since FIFA 16, as Fuss put it in his farewell statement
He and Buschmann announced their farewells at different times. First it was “Buschi”, who had been in this role since FIFA 11. A few months later, his colleague also spoke to Sky. “My involvement with EA will end at the end of the 2023 calendar year. This means that the new FC will be without my voice,” he explained, hinting that he had not taken this step entirely voluntarily. Because: “EA has made this decision”, which the 48-year-old “fully supports”.
This trio is what eSports readers want
If eSports readers had their way, a woman would be back at the virtual microphone after 2004. Not Claudia Neumann, however, but Esther Sedlaczek, who was previously more or less a field reporter for the career mode in the game. If this were to happen, she would be following in the footsteps of Monica Lierhaus. The former Sportschau presenter commented on the 2004 European Championships together with ex-ARD colleague Steffen Simon.
According to the poll, the duo was completed by Florian Schmidt-Sommerfeld. Robby Hunke came in third, just ahead of eFootball commentator Hansi Küpper, and would therefore take over Sedlaczek’s previous role as field reporter
