A Paisley football fanatic has handed a lifeline to Tartan Army members who can’t get time off work to watch Scotland’s highly anticipated Euros return.
As the game against Czech Republic kicks off at 2pm on Monday, an enterprising company has created a workaround which will allow employees to dupe their bosses into believing they’re in a very important meeting while they’re actually watching the game.
Neu Studio has developed a free Chrome extension that makes watching football appear as a video meeting.
By downloading the feature, fans will be able to watch games on BBC iPlayer or STV Player, while the screen appears like any other Zoom call.
Grant MacLennan, founder of Neu studio, which is a design and technology company which fast-forwards the creation of digital products and experiences for the world’s leading companies, said: “I reckon watching football is more productive than most Zoom meetings turn out to be, so I think we’re actually doing both employees and companies a favour.
“Video meetings have become ubiquitous and most bosses seem pretty happy for their employees to sit on Zoom for most of the day.
“After the year we’ve had, I feel pretty good about making sure that no Scot misses out on our biggest game in more than 20 years.
“We’re all about creating solutions to problems.
“Hopefully, we’ve solved a problem for office workers worried about their boss peering over their shoulder, or those looking to shirk their household responsibilities and watch the game in peace.”
This innovation comes as a gentle easing of Scots back into the office collides with the country’s first appearance at a major men’s football tournament since the World Cup in France in 1998, and the first men’s Euros appearance since 1996.
Neu has built digital products and experiences for some of the best-known names in global music and alcohol, including Tennent’s, Warner Music and one of the biggest drinks brands in the US, White Claw Hard Seltzer.
The company made its name in the music industry, working with clients including Coldplay, the Chemical Brothers and Chvrches.
Download the Chrome extension at www.veryimportantmeeting.co.uk then visit BBC iPlayer and click the jigsaw icon on your Chrome browser to activate the extension and see how the game can then integrate with what appears as a video call.
