{"id":9407,"date":"2021-10-13T09:37:10","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T13:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/?p=9407"},"modified":"2021-10-13T09:39:17","modified_gmt":"2021-10-13T13:39:17","slug":"crypto-scoring-big-with-european-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/10\/13\/crypto-scoring-big-with-european-football","title":{"rendered":"Crypto scoring big with European football"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Beautiful Game. Soccer, or football, as those living in the \u201cold world\u201d tend to call it. It\u2019s a sport that has many names, a sport that commands a support base of some 4 billion people.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The power of football is undeniable. Its best players, the Ronaldos and the Messis, are some of the most recognizable people on the planet. Its biggest teams have millions of fans scattered across the world and broadcasters reach more than half of the people on the planet. The European football industry alone turned over 25 billion euros in revenue in 2020, according to <\/span>Deloitte<\/span><\/a>, an indicator of the value in the biggest theater for the sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

The popularity of football is due in large part to its simplicity as a game, and this has inevitably led to the biggest leagues and competitions attracting massive audiences and generating plenty of revenue for all involved. Whether it\u2019s through team sponsorships or marketing on broadcasts and advertising space, the sheer size of its viewership makes football a prime way for brands and businesses of all kinds to reach a lot of consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the cryptocurrency and blockchain space is still in its infancy, it\u2019s a burgeoning industry that is quickly redefining finance and remittance, individual sovereignty of wealth, and a host of other use cases. A number of different firms and organizations have taken the world of crypto into the football arena in different ways, but they\u2019ve quickly made moves to be associated with some of the biggest players, teams and competitions as a result.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s exactly how cryptocurrencies have been introduced to global football audiences and blockchain technology applied to some of the industry\u2019s most popular applications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tapping into a huge audience<\/h4>\n

Football is the most-watched sport in the world, captivating the minds of billions throughout its history. This audience is made up of fans of all types, from fanatics to casual viewers and impartials.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The love of the game has fostered an environment that goes far beyond what is happening on the television screens, from the physical world of merchandise and memorabilia to the digital world of predictions games, fantasy sports and betting. Both areas are prime candidates that can be improved by the different use cases blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies offer.<\/span><\/p>\n

One such company that hopes to disrupt the game is Skrill, a global payments firm that has had a long relationship with European football. As Rupinder Singh, senior vice president of consumer and digital wallets divisions at Skrill, tells Magazine, the company\u2019s history of football sponsorship<\/span> goes as far back as 2013 in the United Kingdom\u2019s Football Conference league, while its parent company Paysafe\u2019s other digital wallet, Neteller, became a sponsor of Premier League outfit Crystal Palace at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of Skrill\u2019s payments bouquet is a cryptocurrency wallet that allows users to store and manage a selection of tokens. The company\u2019s footprint in European football has grown significantly since its humble beginnings sponsoring third-tier football eight years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Who would have bet few years ago that there would tokens, digital assets on the front of jerseys? This is an investment we made to make a strong statement about digital assets globally. pic.twitter.com\/WJ05PY2mIb<\/a><\/p>\n

— Alexandre Dreyfus (@alex_dreyfus) September 26, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n