Flying for Football

Charlie Masters discusses the spread of the European Championships 2020

For the first time in the competition's 60-year history, the European Football Championships are to take place in twelve separate host cities. "There is great pleasure in being able to bring EURO 2020 to so many countries and cities, to see football acting as a bridge between nations, and to carry the competition closer to the fans, who are the essential lifeblood of the game," proclaimed UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin. But is this decision to spread the tournament suitable in the current global environment discussion? Or does it demean the livelihood of football if fewer fans are willing to support around the continent? Reactions were almost entirely negative, with talk about nightmare logistics, increased costs for fans, and the over-commercialisation and lost soul of football.

The host cities span from Baku, to Copenhagen, and to London for the semi-finals and final. It can be said that multiple locations deters fans from all travelling to the same country; as numerous flights around Europe would be quite expensive and inconvenient. This type of dissuasion would definitely be beneficial for the planet as with a lack of travel reduces pollution. This idea also ensures that fans from all countries get to attend the competition, with cheaper tickets to those fans that reside in the country where the match is to be played.

This choice for the summer’s tournament has sparked the idea that we should start to rethink sporting traditions more broadly, and to engage in more cost and environmentally effective formats of the sport. Are these traditions as important as ecological factors when taking sporting championships into account?

"This idea ensures that fans from all countries get to attend the competition"