Inexplicable moaning noises disrupted the European Championship draw ceremony on Saturday, vying for attention as team names were read out on stage.
The interruption, which appeared to sound like sexual noises, was clearly audible for several minutes in the broadcast of the ceremony from a Hamburg concert hall.
– Euro 2024: fixture list and schedule
A British prankster took to social media to take to the stunt, posting footage of himself using a cell phone to activate a ringtone in the venue, which has excellent acoustics.
A clip later posted on social media site X, formerly Twitter, appeared to show the prankster inside the venue during a rehearsal for the hour-long Saturday night event.
The uproar began on Saturday after Switzerland’s name was announced and former Spain and Manchester City player David Silva drew a ball to assign the team’s place in the fixture list.
The next image transmission showed the president of the Swiss Football Association, Dominique Blanc, looking confused and looking at the stage.
UEFA competitions director Giorgio Marchetti noted the noise in his commentary before proceeding with the draw for the final six places for the lower-placed teams in the 24-nation tournament line-up. The sound continued sporadically until the draw was completed.
ESPN has contacted UEFA for comment.
Similar noises disrupted a live BBC broadcast of an English football match between Wolves and Liverpool in January, which involved a joke involving the use of a mobile phone next to the studio.
The BBC later apologized for any offense to viewers.
The internet prankster was previously banned from all sporting events in England and Wales for two years following an incident at a cricket match in 2021. During a cricket test match between England and India, he ran onto the pitch and crashed into an English batsman.
Euro 2024 will be held between ten German cities from June 14th to July 14th, with the final taking place in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.