By Mark Baber
August 19 – A new free Wi-Fi service, introduced for the benefit of fans, sparked fierce protests during PSV Eindhoven’s comprehensive 6-1 win over NAC in the Philips Stadium on Saturday, leading to widespread media coverage as the PSV Rood-Witten ultras unfurled a banner saying ‘F**ck WiFi, support the team’.
Aside from the banner, many supporters held up signs showing a WiFi signal with a red line through it. The protest taps into the feelings aroused by the Against Modern Football movement, with supporters concerned to maintain the atmosphere in the stadium and avoid its gentrification.
The introduction of a free Wi-Fi service for fans was a joint project between PSV Eindhoven Infostrada Sports and UPC called “Connected Stadium” and billed as “a service where wireless internet, online media, a new PSV app and digital services come together – a first for the Netherlands.”
The project features reliable High Density Wi-Fi-technology delivered by UPC Netherlands and a newly designed and developed PSV app including news, statistics and video footage built by Infostrada.
PSV had asked for fan’s feedback on the new service, but may have been surprised by the reaction.
However, it has to be said, out of 30,000 fans in the Philips Stadium on Saturday, 17,000 did make use of the wireless network, with a maximum of 11,000 people online simultaneously.
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