Andrew Orsatti

Andrew Orsatti (born in Sydney, April 23, 1975) is a sports presenter and football commentator, currently based in the United States. After nearly 12 years on free-to-air television in Australia, Orsatti quit the Special Broadcasting Service, SBS, to take up a position at the worldwide headquarters of US sports giant ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.

ESPN

Orsatti joined ESPN, in December 2007, as one of several specialist anchors for a variety of shows. He can be seen hosting the cable network's international version of its flagship program, Sportscenter, in both the Pac-Rim and Atlantic markets, which include Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.

He also appears regularly on ESPN's football telecasts, providing English commentary for Spanish and Italian league matches, as well as the UEFA Champions League. Orsatti also offers analysis on ESPN Soccernet Press Pass.

In May, 2008, Orsatti made his US television debut on ESPN 2, which is available to an estimated 90 million subscribers, while anchoring the 2007/2008 UEFA Champions League.

The Footballer

A defender growing up through the ranks of Sydney-based National Soccer League club APIA Leichhardt, Orsatti travelled to Italy where he was monitored by the likes of A.S. Roma, Torino, Pescara, Ancona and Lucchese.

In early 1994, he suffered a serious knee injury after 17 appearances for Italian lower division club Penne. During the northern summer of 1994, he was offered a contract by then Serie A club Pescara. However, after five knee operations, including two to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, he never returned to full-time professional football.

In 2002, he appeared in the 'If Only' series on SBS, in which Australia's 1974 World Cup defender Manfred Schafer, described Orsatti as a "big time" player whom he had expected to excel in one of the world's top competitions.

The Media Career

Orsatti completed an Associate Diploma in Journalism at Macleay College in Sydney, in 1995.

After joining SBS as a cadet journalist in 1996, Orsatti quickly rose through the ranks to become the weekend host of the network's daily, prime-time sports show, "Toyota World Sports". He was 21, one of the youngest free-to-air presenters in the history of Australian broadcasting.

He was later assigned to major sporting events that included the Tour de France, Basketball World Championship, World Swimming Championships, the summer Olympic Games of 2000 and 2004.

Orsatti specialised in football, on SBS, covering marquee events such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and English FA Cup finals. He travelled to the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in France, 2002 FIFA World Cup, in Korea/Japan, Euro 2000 in the Netherlands/Belgium, and Euro 2004 in Portugal.

Orsatti was the face of SBS' World Cup coverage in 2006, hosting the majority of matches from the public broadcaster's Sydney studios.

Before his departure from SBS, Orsatti also wrote opinion pieces and presented 'The Shootout', alongside former Australian international midfielder Craig Foster, for The World Game website.

Orsatti anchored SBS' award-winning telecast of Australia's Round of 16 World Cup match against Italy. SBS received a Logie Award for the event, the highest distinction in Australian television, for the Most Outstanding Sports Coverage of 2006

The Farina Incident

In March 2005, Orsatti was allegedly assaulted by Australia's then national football coach Frank Farina. According to police reports, Farina grabbed Orsatti by the throat after a heated verbal exchange, which immediately followed a friendly international against Iraq in Sydney.

Orsatti dropped the charges after Farina, who often accused SBS of unfair criticism, issued a public apology and promised to co-operate in the future. Farina was ordered to undergo anger management and was sacked the following year by Football Federation Australia (FFA). Farina's demise, while not a direct result of the alleged altecation with Orsatti, came during an administrative overhaul of the Australian game, which ultimately led to the appointment of Dutch coach Guus Hiddink.

In his recent book, "It's Only a Game - A Life in Sport", former Football Federation Australia CEO John O Neill, while not condoning Farina's actions, said he often found Orsatti's journalistic nature as "excessively aggressive" and suggested that perhaps he had "got what was coming to him".