Unexplained moaning noises disrupted the draw ceremony for the European Championship on Saturday and competed for attention with the team names being read out on stage.
The interruption, which seemed to sound like sexual noises, was clearly heard for several minutes on the ceremony broadcast from a concert hall in Hamburg.
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A British prankster claimed credit on social media for the stunt and posted footage of himself making cell phone calls to activate a ring tone in the venue which has excellent acoustics.
A later clip posted to the social media site X, formerly Twitter, appeared to show the prankster inside the venue during a rehearsal for the hour-long Saturday evening event.
On Saturday, the noises started after Switzerland's name was announced and a subsequent ball to allocate the team's place in the game schedule was drawn by former Spain and Manchester City player David Silva.
The next image broadcast was of the Swiss soccer federation president, Dominique Blanc, showing him seeming bemused and looking up toward the stage.
UEFA director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti noted the noise in his commentary before continuing with the draw for the last six places for lower-ranked teams in the 24-nation tournament lineup. The sound continued sporadically until the draw was completed.
ESPN has reached out to UEFA for comment.
Similar noises disrupted a BBC live broadcast of an English football game in January between Wolves and Liverpool, which turned out to be a prank 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 after an incident at a cricket match in 2021. He ran on to the field during a cricket test match between England and India and barged into an England batter.
Euro 2024 will be staged between 10 German cities from June 14 to July 14, with the final taking place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.