Uefa has enlisted the support of artificial intelligence to help manage a more complex format, sparking a combination of intrigue and suspicion. SportsPro examines how these reactions reflect wider attitudes towards AI.
AI has transcended the technology industry to become a mainstream subject of conversation. New smartphone features, chatbots and image generators are just some of the ways the general public is interacting with AI, and there is awareness of the ethical, regulatory, and technological hurdles that must be overcome.
Last week saw another example of this cultural crossover. This season’s Uefa Champions League eschews the traditional format of eight groups each comprising four teams in favour of a 36-team single-league structure in which all sides play eight fixtures.
The hope is that Uefa, participating teams and fans benefit from a greater quantity of attractive fixtures between the continent’s leading sides and, in theory, more meaningful group stage matchups. Schedules are weighted according to strength of opposition and each team can only play two teams from the same country.
All of these permutations mean the draw process is now far too complex for the manual method of pulling balls containing team names out of a bowl. Uefa says the new format would require nearly 1,000 balls and at least 36 bowls, leading to an ‘unbearably lengthy’ event. Given many previous draws have been needlessly extended by indulgent displays of pomp ceremony, you know the potential duration must be truly unfathomable for even Uefa to reach its threshold of intolerability.
Such a complex process also heightens the risk of a mistake. The last-16 draw in 2021/22 had to be repeated after a “technical problem” affected software which instructed officials which teams are eligible to play one another. This resulted in the incorrect teams being included in part of the draw.
To avoid any mishaps and preserve everyone’s sanity, Uefa is now using AI software from AE Live to conduct all future draws for its three club competitions. The new process sees the names of all 36 teams drawn manually as usual, with a celebrity guest (in this case Cristiano Ronaldo) given the honour of pushing a comically large button to activate the AI technology.
The software then uses intelligent algorithms to assign random fixtures based on the parameters set by Uefa, ensuring that the draw can be completed for all teams without any discrepancies. Dates and times for each game are then assigned by Uefa manually in order to optimise television schedules, local requirements, and to ensure there are no clashes between teams playing in the same city.
While the concept may have confused some viewers beforehand, it became more obvious once the draw was initiated, and there were no hiccups. Indeed, the most remarkable thing to happen was the sight of Ronaldo looking like a contestant on a daytime television game show each time he pushed the button.
But this hasn’t stopped the conspiracy theorists, many of whom may have peddled falsehoods about the manual draw, suggesting the process lacked transparency and could be bent to Uefa’s whim – either giving favourable draws to favoured teams or making sure the most attractive ties were guaranteed.
Uefa also denied the draw was at risk of disruption or manipulation by a cyberattack. Perhaps a hacker might have a vested interest in replacing Real Madrid with Maidstone United in the database, hoping that Uefa has the same rules as the Triwizard Tournament in the Harry Potter universe whereby any name that comes back out of the Goblet of Fire is obliged to participate – even if there has been foul play.
However, European soccer’s governing body said appropriate security measures were in place and that results would be independently audited.
“People can trust us,” said Uefa deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti. “Many people didn’t trust us in the past – they thought the ball was hot or cold or [we used] God only knows which systems to manipulate the balls.
“The response of the system will happen in a few seconds so there is no possibility for anyone to intervene. Uefa has never been made part of the code developed by AE Live.
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