Paris (AFP)

Almost three months after the unexpected "impact" of her documentary on sexism in sports journalism, Marie Portolano is preparing to establish herself as a new face of football on M6, "delighted" to have treated "in spite of" her of a "fact of society".

The 35-year-old journalist is under the influence of a double news: her arrival on the general public channel, co-broadcaster of the Euro (June 11-July 11) on the occasion of which she will host "100% Euro", pre- and post-game shows, and a magazine.

And the success of "I am not a slut, I am a journalist", broadcast at the end of March on Canal +, where she officiated for seven years.

Internal investigations launched in various media, sidelining of Canal + columnist Pierre Ménès, a slew of media coverage ... The co-director of this film "did not expect" such an explosion, she says to AFP.

She gives voice to twenty sisters, victims of sexual assault, harassment or sexist comments in the historically male "macho bastion" of sport.

"We realized that on television, the sports journalist (...) must be in a beautiful light, smile well, (she) is legitimate to present (...) but a little less legitimate to comments , behind the camera or as a reporter ", relates the one who has already heard said" we don't give a fuck about your opinion "after a remark, on the air, on the change of position of a player of the PSG.

She regrets, however, the "manhunt" which in the process targeted Pierre Ménès, cornered in particular for having lifted her skirt in front of the Canal Football club audience in 2016 and forcibly kissing journalist Isabelle Moreau.

Marie Portolano had questioned him about these two attacks, but their exchanges were cut off from the final version of the film at the request of the management of Canal +, accused of wanting to protect its star columnist.

- the tide is turning -

"I did not fight more than that" against this decision to allow the film to exist, explains the journalist, annoyed to note that "a documentary with 25 testimonies of different women comes down to a single man (... ) Pierre Ménès is not the culprit of the entirety of sexism in France (...) It is the system which allowed this kind of acts which it is necessary to fight ".

But after ten years of career spent in particular with Eurosport, Orange Sport, CFoot and BeIN sport, Marie Portolano ensures not to have received "too many sexist remarks", underlining the benevolence of "90%" of the journalists of the sports editors.

Even if it takes, according to her, more women in positions of responsibility, things "are already changing" thanks to "the new generation", more "aware of these problems", believes this member of the collective women sports journalists, mounted in niche in the media on the day the documentary was broadcast.

Proof that the tide is turning, it is a duo of women, Marie Portolano for M6 and Nathalie Iannetta for TF1, who interviewed Didier Deschamps on May 18 after the announcement of the list of French players for the Euro.

Passionate about football thanks to her brothers since the age of "10-11 years", the journalist will put her expertise to the benefit of the channel, which initially came to recruit her this winter for her "personality", her "self-humor", her "second degree" and offer him entertainment programs.

She will host a musical program, "The Extraordinary Evening", at the end of June, and especially this fall the tenth season of "Best Pastry Chef", replacing Julia Vignali.

The journalist does not wish to comment on the controversial dismissals that have occurred in recent months in the sports department of Canal +, and in particular that, mentioned by the site Les Jours, of the co-director of his documentary, Guillaume Priou.

On the other hand, she agrees to deliver her predictions for the Euro: a "France-Belgium" final!

© 2021 AFP