Euro 2020 is well underway now, with all of the first group stage games played. That’s helping us to get a much clearer picture of the nations heading into the knockout phase of the competition. Armed with that knowledge, football fans are now placing bets on which team they think is going to win the tournament. Many of them are also taking advantage of the special Euro 2020 free bet offers that are run by leading bookmakers to help them get even better value.
Millions more will be tuning in to watch every game, even those from countries outside of Europe. Here in Uganda, coverage is being provided by Star-Times, SuperSport, and Canal+ Afrique, meaning fans have plenty of options.
While we’re watching this festival of football, it’s easy to forget all of the technology that goes into making a major tournament like this happen. However, behind the scenes armies of people are working to make sure that fans at home don’t miss a single second, those in the stadium are kept safe, and games are officiated as fairly as possible.
Payment Technology
You may have noticed that every major international sporting event is usually sponsored by either Visa or Mastercard. Part of the reason for this is the fact that the two companies both see these competitions as great marketing opportunities to gain global exposure to as many as two billion people.
The other reason is that payment technology is actually very important for events like Euro 2020. Fan villages are usually crammed with people, all looking to buy food, drinks, and souvenirs. In the past, Visa has used the Olympics to trial and showcase innovative products like contactless payments.
However, Euro 2020 will be slightly different. In 2018, UEFA signed a deal with AliPay for the Chinese company to become the confederation’s official payment provider. The company’s payment wallet will be accepted at all Euro 2020 venues and via the UEFA website. While it won’t convince all fans to ditch their physical wallet in favor of their smartphones, it will be the first time many Europeans have come across QR code payments.
Security
Stadium security is important as it helps to ensure everyone inside has a great time. Around each Euro 2020 venue, networks of CCTV will be used to keep an eye on fans, spot potential trouble makers, and direct policing resources to where it’s needed most.
It also helps to prevent ticket touts that may operate in the vicinity, a practice that drives up the price fans pay for tickets and can make some people feel uncomfortable.
In some host cities, technology like facial recognition may also be used to help spot people that shouldn’t be there.
Additionally, digital tickets available on each fan’s smartphone will also help to prevent forgeries and improve security for fans.
Officiating
International football tournaments have been no stranger to controversial refereeing decisions. It’s very easy for referees and their assistants to miss key moments if their attention is on something else or if they don’t have a very good view of the action.
Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup could have changed the outcome of the game, while a handball in a 2011 Women’s World Cup game between Australia and Equatorial Guinea wasn’t seen by the ref, meaning Australia missed a crucial penalty.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will be used in Euro 2020, the first time it’s featured in a European Championship. It isn’t new, it was trialed at the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and has been used in most major domestic European leagues since.
VAR does have its critics. They often point out that the process of consulting the people watching the video feed can take time, meaning fans sometimes have to postpone celebrating a goal while a postmortem is carried out by a team of faceless officials.
However, most people agree that this is more preferable to your team getting sent home early from the tournament thanks to a wrongly disallowed goal or an unfair red car.
Broadcasting
Euro 2016 had a global audience of two billion people and UEFA expects just as many people to watch this year. Broadcasting live football to this many people is no easy task, which is why UEFA and officials in the host countries have to work hard to implement a technical solution that delivers the level of quality fans have come to expect.
More than 3,500 hours of content will be produced over the tournament, in a range of different formats.
Each stadium will have at least 36 cameras pointing at the action, with eight more that record events in and around the stadium, such as fans in the stands and teams arriving. This will include:
- One camera in a helicopter
- A camera inside each goal
- Two high-speed cameras
- Pole cameras at each end of the pitch
- An aerial camera (the one you see on wires above the pitch)
- Eight super slow-mo cameras
- Five handheld cameras that can be moved around during the game
- Crane cameras at either end of the pitch
This setup will help to cater to all main broadcast standards, including HD, UHD, and HDR.
Footage will be beamed to the International Broadcast Center in Vijhuizen via dedicated fibre optic cables, where more than 1,000 people will work to ensure all 2 billion people don’t miss one second of the action. This will be in addition to the more than 2,000 broadcast staff working at the 11 stadiums.
Onscreen graphics will be added by UEFA’s broadcast team, with most work being done inside a specially designed van at each stadium. Statistics that are included in this graphics package will be generated partly through technology and partly by an army of spotters around the stadium who will each be looking for particular information.
UEFA’s team will put together what is known as the “world feed”, which will be the main video content shown on television sets, smartphones, and computer screens around the world. All of the local broadcasters, like Star Times, SuperSport, and Canal+ Afrique here in Uganda, will use this world feed, adding their own commentary over the top.
