The heat of EURO has decreased

Time slot not suitable for Vietnamese audience

Portugal vs Czech Republic is the final match of the first round, taking place at 2am on June 19. This is an exciting and dramatic match, when the championship candidate Portugal only got 3 full points in the final minutes. The match is also notable for the appearance of superstar Ronaldo. At the age of 39, this player holds the record as the first person to participate in the tournament 6 times, in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024. However, because it took place at 2am, most Vietnamese audiences did not witness this match directly.

According to VTV's broadcast schedule, the 36 group stage matches of this year's EURO have 3 time slots: 8pm, 11pm and 2am. The round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals even have only 2 time slots: 11pm and 2am.

So from the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, if the audience wants to watch live, there are only 2 very late time slots. The final match on July 15th will also take place at 2am. The match starting at 11pm will end at the earliest around 1am, the match at 2am will end at the earliest around 4am. On weekends, fans can stay up to watch football and catch up on sleep, but on workdays, few people can watch matches at this time slot because it will greatly affect their health and work.

The match schedule of this year's EURO also disappointed restaurant owners. During major football tournaments such as the World Cup, EURO or tournaments with the Vietnamese team competing at reasonable times, restaurants often set up large screens to serve fans who can eat and drink while watching football. But with this match schedule, restaurants only operate normally. "The restaurant operates normally as if there was no EURO. Because no one comes to the restaurant to watch football at these times," said Mr. Le Hoang, owner of restaurant 123 in Hai Duong city.

Audiences are "overfed" with football

As someone who is knowledgeable about football and was once a professional player for the Military Region 3 team, Mr. Nguyen Hoa in Hai Duong City analyzed that, apart from the inconvenient time frame, EURO and even the World Cup are less attractive than before.

The reason is that the audience is "overfed" with football, when the world's top tournaments such as Champions League, Europa League, Copa America, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga... take place all year round. "The audience doesn't have to wait until EURO to meet their idols, but can meet them in any tournament that takes place every week, so the excitement is much reduced," said Mr. Hoa.

According to Mr. Hoa, every house has several TVs, so it is rare to gather together to watch football. Even if you are alone with your phone lying on the bed, you can watch the entire tournament. In addition, the trend of modern football is very different from the past. Teams play closely, scientifically, and calculatingly, instead of the spontaneous, flashy style of play like before. The audience hardly ever sees a player dribbling the ball from one side of the field to the other goal. Nowadays, when a player holds the ball, fans can guess where he will pass the ball. Therefore, the attractiveness and surprise of football has somewhat decreased.

"Another thing that proves the attraction of EURO has decreased is that football is no longer the main topic in meetings. When sitting together, people rarely talk about how the match went last night," Mr. Hoa added.

All 24 teams in this year’s EURO finals have taken to the field and spectators will enjoy the exciting football atmosphere in 39 more matches. Although it is said to have lost its appeal, the king sport still has a firm place in the hearts of fans because of the beauty, surprise and nobility that football brings.