The unveiling of teams for the fifth edition of the 2017 Audi Cup, a two-day pre-season football tournament, had an interesting wrinkle — the press conference was conducted with hologram technology integration.
Host FC Bayern Munich had coach Carlo Ancelotti present in physical form at Säbener Straße to discuss the Cup, which will be at Allianz Arena in Munich Aug. 1-2. However, coaches Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool FC) and Diego Simeone (Atlético Madrid) appeared as live holograms in front of media Friday.
“Well, it’s a bit strange to be honest,” Klopp said of appearing in 3D hologram form. “Generation-wise, I’m somebody who watched Starship Enterprise, and I feel as if I’ve been to Munich. It’s new, but the quality seems to be good.”
Added Simeone: “It took me only five minutes to be here with all of you. We’re very happy. This is something very new.”
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Ancelotti of Bayern Munch echoed their comments, saying it was “very interesting” to be present next to the other two coaches, albeit they were in virtual form. When the coaches first transported into the press conference, audience members could actually hear both coaches’ breathing, making it seem like they were actually there in Munich.
“(The hologram technology) allows us to check-in a lot of times and also give us the possibility to do more press conferences like this,” he said.
Thomas Glas, Head of Sport Marketing of AUDI AG, said the Audi Cup as a whole provides a “platform to test new innovation and therefore, we have this hologram press conference.”
“I think it’s world premier to have a hologram press conference in sports,” Glass added.
The fourth and final participating club in the 2017 Audi Cup will be announced at a later date.