Manchester United and TeamViewer partnership drives unique opportunities

Liam Watson

A five-year agreement between Manchester United and TeamViewer brings one of the world’s most popular and successful sports teams with one of Europe’s fastest-growing software companies. 

The collaboration sees the two organisations join forces from the 2021/22 season, where TeamViewer has recently been unveiled as the new principal shirt partner for the Red Devils.

With TeamViewer presented on the front of Manchester United’s shirt, it will capitalise on the English Premier League club’s global audience to share TeamViewer’s qualities and features towards connecting the world virtually. It brings greater awareness of how they can be of use to any organisation seeking improved collaboration software. 

Manchester United boast 1.1 billion fans and followers around the world, who will now be introduced to new technology related to TeamViewer’s expertise at providing remote connectivity services.  

TeamViewer have all bases covered for getting supporters of Manchester United closer to the action, focusing on three key areas – fans, football and business. 

Fan: 

  • Virtual stadium experiences. 
  • Unique behind-the-scenes content. 
  • Augmented Reality (AR) at Old Trafford and at home. 
  • Enhanced museum experiences. 

Football: 

  • Enhanced training and performance through AR. 
  • Remote access to players for scheduling and training. 
  • Remote access and AR for medical examinations. 
  • Enabled scouts through remote access technology. 

Business: 

  • Enhanced accessibility and IT support for offices. 
  • Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for stadium controls to optimize safety and security. 
  • Upgraded sustainability at the stadium and all club locations through remote work and IoT solutions. 

Similarly to Manchester United, TeamViewer are a widely known platform who are based in Germany – they have been installed on over 2.5 billion devices, have nearly 600,000 subscribers, and operates in almost every country. TeamViewer matches Manchester United’s ambition for growth, where their technology addresses the barriers for people and businesses to achieve what they thought could not be possible. TeamViewer is the ideal fit in a football club setting, where they can collaborate with a global community and an array of culture. 

A new Thought Leadership series saw Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speak for the first time with TeamViewer CEO Oliver Steil to discuss the essence of what makes a great team, how Manchester United and TeamViewer will drive technological advancement, and how to foster a culture of diversity and inclusivity. The TeamViewer meeting highlights the values that both parties share, ensuring that Manchester United supporters will have more access to their club than ever before.

TeamViewer CEO Oliver Steil: 

“We are very excited to see our brand on the front of the most iconic shirt in global sports. The partnership with Manchester United is a key pillar to further shape TeamViewer’s perception as a global tech brand.”

“We will support the club in its digitalization efforts and show these use cases to all our users and customers worldwide. This will reinforce the breadth of our solutions portfolio and explain how we are creating a world that works better. We can’t wait for the new season to begin and to see the team in action in their new shirt at the legendary Theatre of Dreams.” 

Group Managing Director and Director of Manchester United, Richard Arnold: 

“The launch of our new home kit is an exciting moment before the start of every season and especially so this year as we welcome TeamViewer as our new principal shirt partner.”

“While the shirt will be the most visible symbol of our partnership, we are looking forward to using TeamViewer’s technology to drive digitalization of the club and open new ways for us to connect with our fans. This will bring huge benefits to both of our organisations and, most importantly, to our fans around the world.” 

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FIFPRO demands governance reform after FIFA’s FFE failure

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Image credit: BBC Sport

While FIFA cancelled plans to move forward with FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), FIFPRO are demanding change at the top of football’s global governing body.

‘Abuse of power’

The plan to sell minority stakes in future FIFA competitions to private investors brought intense criticism from fans across the world.

Governing bodies including UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) and the AFC (Asia) rallied against FFE and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, leading to a crisis meeting in Morocco to determine Infantino’s seemingly untenable position at the head of world football governance.

The meeting, however, confirmed Infantino will remain as FIFA President going forward – a decision which has since prompted FIFPRO to make their stance clear: governance reform is a must.

“The withdrawal of FFE was inevitable. But withdrawing the proposal does not erase what it revealed,” the organisation said via an official statement on the FIFPRO website.

“A plan capable of permanently altering the ownership and governance of the FIFA World Cup, and commercialising the competitions built by generations of players, was conceived in secrecy, negotiated behind closed doors and brought to the brink of agreement before the FIFA Council, the Member Associations, players and football’s recognised stakeholders even knew it existed.”

“That is not merely a governance failure. It is a profound abuse of presidential power.”

 

How to navigate governance post-FFE

As reiterated by FIFPRO, the FFE controversy arrived a mere few weeks after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FIFA and the player’s union marked an optimistic step to a more collaborative future.

But what was previously a step in the right direction, now seems an insufficient policy to protect players – and the wider landscape of world football – from future unilateral decisions at the top.

FIFPRO’s demands – agreed upon by the Presidents of all FIFPRO regional divisions across Africa, Asia/Oceania, Europe, South America and Central & North America – include measures such as:

  • Using the Global Social Dialogue Platform as fundamental part of FIFA’s governance
  • Engagement with stakeholders over future decisions affecting the professional game
  • Voting rights for professional football’s stakeholders on the FIFA Council
  • Structural reforms to prevent future unilateral decisions

The message from FIFPRO is therefore clear. Now is not the time to rest on criticism; stakeholders in the professional game must encourage action and reform.

“These reforms are now indespensable. But they are the responsibility of the future, not an absolution of the past,” FIFPRO continued via their official statement.

“The players did not create this crisis. They will insist that football emerges from it with stronger institutions, stronger safeguards and leadership worthy of the trust the game demands.”

Referees to improve consistency with new UEFA guidelines

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Image credit: UEFA

In a meeting between Chief Refereeing Officers within UEFA and its 55 national associations, enhancing consistency and clarity underpinned the principle goals for the upcoming season.

Improving officiating

Referees – and particularly the usage of VAR – are often at the centre of post-match debates.

As the introduction of new technology into match officiating increases year-on-year, referees are in the spotlight more than ever before. The expectation was that more technology would decrease errors and controversy, but the opposite has proven to be the case.

Which is why the agreement and alignment between European nations marks a key step in the future of match officiating; the meeting between UEFA, its national associations and a representative of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) displays intention and commitment to ensuring future in-game decisions are clear, not controversial.

Meeting chair and UEFA Director for Refereeing, Roberto Rosetti, outlined why the agreement will have a vital impact on the future of European football, both domestically and internationally.

“The fact that all 55 national associations and UEFA have agreed on guidelines towards a more consistent approach to the application of the Laws of the Game marks a significant milestone,” Rosetti said.

“It will help improve the understanding of refereeing decisions among players, clubs and supporters and all stakeholders in the game.”

“For the popularity of football it is essential to remove all doubt from the game and ensure that the laws are applied with clarity.”

 

Limiting technology use

A widespread criticism of match officiating in recent years is the regularity with which VAR intervenes and interrupts match tempo.

The issue, however, is not that VAR can review decisions – in fact, this summer’s FIFA World Cup displayed an effective use of VAR during a case of mistaken identity, in which a player received a yellow card offence for a foul committed by an opposition player. In this regard, VAR was a vital part of ensuring a simulation offence did not go unpunished.

Frustration, however, grows when the use of VAR goes beyond checking “clear and obvious” errors. Lengthy replays, a multitude of angle-checking clips and the disruption of game flow all contribute to feelings of frustration among fans.

But recent amdendments aim to limit this in the upcoming season. VAR is an essential part of fair officiating, but responsibility must lie with the referee.

The new rules introduced by the IFAB are available here, with further initiatives to follow from UEFA in the coming weeks.

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