After the opening ceremony in Rome, the ball is now rolling at the pan-European football championship. Appearances by Andrea Bocelli as well as U2 singer Bono, guitarist The Edge and DJ Martin Garrix followed on Friday evening in the Olympic Stadium with the kick-off of the first round match between Italy and Turkey.
The tournament in eleven countries, which had to be postponed by a year due to the corona pandemic, will end on July 11 with the final at London's Wembley Stadium.
After classical sounds by tenor Bocelli, who received a lot of applause, Bono, his long-time companion The Edge and Martin Garrix presented the official EM song "We Are The People". As in the final of the Champions League in Porto, the stadium, through which billows of smoke from the previous fireworks still passed, was transformed digitally in blue and white, at least for the TV viewers, including the winner's trophy for the European champions. Before that, 24 oversized balls in the corresponding national colors reminded of the 24 participating nations.
The former national players Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta, who were once active in Rome, welcomed the spectators as EM ambassadors. A total of 25 percent of the seats in the Olympic Stadium were allowed to be occupied in the first game, 15,948 spectators were allowed. Around 7,000 Italian fans and around 3,000 supporters of the Turkish team from all over Europe were expected.
Hundreds of fans had made their way to the historic center of Rome hours before the opening game kicked off. In the afternoon, numerous red-clad Turkey fans could be seen in the city's popular squares and tourist attractions, taking photos and holding up their national flag. In the evening, long before the start of the game, numerous fans from both teams gathered in front of the stadium. The mood was peaceful and exuberant. Especially the fans who had traveled further afield enjoyed the day with the atmosphere and the good weather in the Italian capital. With almost 30 degrees Celsius and bright sunshine, some climbed the famous Spanish Steps, posed in front of the Trevi Fountain or already played football in the famous Piazza del Popolo.
A total of four games are planned in Rome, including a quarter-finals. The city has set up screens in several places in the historic center, on which games are broadcast. The central fan festival is planned for the Piazza del Popolo, the northern end of the promenade and shopping street Via del Corso.