Many Internet users have expressed their enthusiasm for the Kings League, which introduces a new format for football. The idea comes from former FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, who wanted to create an interactive tournament open to the public, with rules different from classic football. To this end, he collaborated with 12 leading Spanish-speaking content creators, such as Ebai Llanos.
Competitive matches are played on an artificial turf pitch and involve seven players per team. These meetings are broadcast on platforms such as Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Soon the women’s version will be launched under the name Queens League.
Piqué announced the event a few months ago. In a live stream on Twitch, he said: “This project allows the public to enter the locker rooms, follow player conversations and actively participate in the experience (via cameras and microphones).”
“We think football is a great sport, but the rigid rules make it difficult to change. We are flexible and we will offer what the fans want,” he added.
Kings League teams are led by well-known content creators and former players, such as Manchester City’s all-time top scorer Sergio Agüero and former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Rules adopted
The Kings League sees the participation of 14 teams made up of 10 players each, plus player number 12. It is based on rules voted on via social networks:
In the event of a tie, the winner is determined by penalties from the center of the field. The offside rule applies, throw-ins are taken by hand and player substitutions are unlimited.
Yellow cards mean a two-minute suspension and red cards five minutes. At the start of the match, players start from the goal line towards the ball in the center of the field. The jerseys are numbered from 0 to 99.
As for the duration of the match, it totals 40 minutes, divided into two halves of 20 minutes each. Before each match, the teams choose one of five secret golden cards which are only used once: an immediate penalty, the exclusion of a player from the opposing team for two minutes (except the goalkeeper ), the counting of goals at double their value for two minutes, or the joker, that is to say the choice between one of these options, as well as the appropriation of a card from the opposing team.
Teams have one chance to use VAR and if it fails, they cannot request it again. After the goals, fireworks are launched. Matches leading up to the tournament took place in early 2023 at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium.
The first edition is currently taking place in the Italian cities of Turin and Milan, with the participation of Morocco and 13 other countries. The title will be awarded to the winning team on Sunday January 12 at the Allianz Arena in Turin, stronghold of Juventus.
The Moroccan national team qualified for the quarter-finals of the competition, after beating Japan on Monday by four goals to two. Next, she will face the United States.
