The ongoing FIFA 2014 World Cup is touted as the biggest event in social media history. While traditionally the scale of the event was measured by the number of television viewers across the globe and attendees at the stadiums, in today’s world a lot more is happening online. Live tweets and social media updates keep the online world buzzing, and more and more people are following scores and live action online via websites and mobile apps.
With many football games happening during work hours in some time zones and other odd junctures in different parts of the world, it is not always possible to catch all your favorite teams live in action on television. The ever-growing world of mobile apps has come to the rescue once again with a range of options to catch the live action even if you aren’t able to seek out the closest television showing the game.
A Pakistani start-up mobile app developer (Pantera Engineering) is playing its part via its live text-commentary app: Football World Cup Companion, available for iPhone and Android users.
How it works
The app provides an easy-to-navigate platform to stay updated on minute-by-minute action on all football games in the FIFA 2014 World Cup. With a lively imagination and attention to detail, you can capture every minute of the game with the Football Cup Companion’s detailed live text commentary.
Additionally, the app provides a great overview of each team’s squad, World Cup venues and current rankings of each Group. The aim is to provide a one-stop solution for football fans looking to keep up with the World Cup frenzy at all times.
A plethora of similar apps are available via official channels such as FIFA and ESPN as well as through other international app developers. Pantera Engineering, however, claims to stand out with its high quality live feed and a comprehensive interface to browse all aspects of the game.
Pakistan and Football
Pakistan is currently ranked 164th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings and has never participated in the World Cup. This doesn’t mean that there is any shortage of football fandom among Pakistani youths, who avidly follow major football events and vouch for their favorite international teams.
Pakistan is also playing a role in international football as the main supplier of the footballs. In the current World Cup, Pakistani sports goods manufacturer Forward Sports has manufactured the official match ball for the competition.
The free and ad-free Football Cup Companion app has taken this connection a step further. This easy-to-use app has attracted international attention and is also featured on Tech in Asia in the context of Pakistani tech entrepreneurship’s venture into the biggest sporting event of the year. This is promising news for the growing mass of Pakistani mobile app developers attempting to make an impact in the global marketplace.
Some glitches
The app is not without its issues. The size is unusually large at around 20 MB for its simple interface. While using it on my Samsung Galaxy S4, the app would crash each time I tried to open the ‘Matches’ section to look at past games. The Points Table is jumbled up with Draws marked as “L” and losses marked as “D”. While the names of the entire squads are available, the lack of pictures makes it a bit dull.
The goal summary of the matches got mixed up for the two games being played in parallel. Some of the commentary matched another famous app’s commentary word-for-word, which casts doubt on the originality of the content.
Way Forward
Pakistani tech entrepreneurs have a long way to go and therefore have an open playing field in terms of the impact they can make in this online age. Pantera Engineering’s football app is certainly a step in the right direction in becoming an active part of the global community. The team at Pantera is dedicated to provide quality, and experiences such as this venture will lead the way to future successes.
Download 2014 Football Cup Companion
Connect With Pantera Engineering
