To lessen their carbon footprint, teams at Euro 2024 will be expected to travel to group-stage matches by coach or train rather than flying.

Uefa, the governing body of European football, has stated that it wants next summer’s event in Germany to be “the most sustainable European Championship of all time.”

Group games have been regionalized to favor land travel.

Fans will also receive cheap long-distance train tickets and free local public transportation.

Flights emit greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2), as a result of fuel combustion. These gases contribute to global warming.

Uefa intends to discourage short-haul flights during the group stage by placing fixtures into three clusters in the country’s north, west, and south, making train or road travel more possible.

That might change if clubs advance to a knockout game at the other end of the country.

The distance between the most northern and southern host cities, Hamburg and Munich, is 380 miles.

The goals are part of the European Union’s environmental, social, and governance strategy, which includes steps to combat prejudice and promote health and well-being.

“This is our opportunity to set an example by delivering the tournament in accordance with the highest sustainability standards,” said Michele Uva, Uefa’s director of social and environmental sustainability.

Anti-abuse systems have been implemented.

To combat instances of online abuse of gamers, a monitoring and reporting mechanism will be implemented.

After losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were racially insulted online in July 2021.

Following the defeat, the UK Football Policing Unit received 600 reports of racist comments directed towards England’s black players, of which 207 were deemed criminal.

According to a research conducted last year by Fifa and the players’ union Fifpro, more than half of the players who competed in the semi-finals and finals of Euro 2020 and the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations faced online abuse.

A rapid reaction mechanism will also be created to identify incidents of discrimination within stadiums.

“Euro 2024 is intended to be a football festival for all fans, focusing on sport and bringing people from all over Europe together.” “We want to present ourselves as a modern, open country with a diverse society,” said Nancy Faeser, Germany’s federal minister of the interior and sports.

“We want to use football as a unifying force to help combat racism and discrimination in sports as well as other sectors.”