Imagine soccer with double goal counts, endless substitutions and joker cards.
Welcome to the Kings League – a seven-a-side football format that could soon be making its way to the UK.
Gerard Pique, former Barcelona and Manchester United defender and founder of the competition, describes it as “soccer but not soccer”.
“Last year was the first edition and it went very well. Many matches had bigger crowds than in La Liga,” Pique explained in an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live's EuroLeague.
“We are open to everyone. In 2024 we have expanded and organized the first World Cup, which will be held in May.
“Teams from Spain and America will be competing, but we are giving wildcards to the presidents of teams from other countries and we hope to open leagues soon, one of which will be in England. Rio Ferdinand will have a team.”
“Neymar owns the Brazilian team, Francesco Totti is in the Italian team, Eden Hazard will play for the Belgian team. This World Cup will be very destructive. There's nothing going on for the next two weeks until the Euros.''There's other football too, and I think everyone will want to watch it. ”
How does it work?
Twelve teams will take part, each playing 11 games on Sunday at the same venue in Barcelona before the play-offs to determine the winner.
Each team will have 12 players, a mix of influencers and former soccer players, of which 10 will be drafted and two guests will be chosen by each president. Iker Casillas and Sergio Aguero both lead teams in the league.
Matches last for 40 minutes, and in the event of a draw, the match will proceed to a one-on-one penalty shootout with the goalkeeper.
Brazilian icon Ronaldinho, former Mexican international striker Javier Hernández, who currently plays for Guadalajara, and former Argentina international forwards Aguero and Javier Saviola are among the biggest names in football taking part in the tournament.
But what really stands out are the rules.
Before the match, both teams randomly select cards. Each team has a secret weapon that he can use from halftime until the 38th minute.
- Double Goal – During the 4 minute period, the goal of the team that played the card counts twice.
- Sanctions – Teams can select opposing players who must be sent off for 4 minutes.
- Penalty – The team that plays this card will receive a penalty
- Penalty Shootout – The team that plays this card receives a “penalty” similar to a shootout where the players are one-on-one with the keeper.
- Star Player – One player is given an armband to identify them as a star player. If he scores, it counts double and the secret weapon is over.
- Wildcards – Teams can activate other cards or steal their opponent's cards
“You have to be competitive, but you also have to be a show,” said Pique, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010.
“Rules may also be voted on by the public via Twitter. For example, artificial turf will be black and the president will be allowed to shoot penalties during matches. The president may be a content creator, streamer or football legend. It is.”
“We wanted to change the rules because we wanted something that was fun and competitive and could be a show. Football is the king of sports, but we wanted to create a different product. .
“It's not all about the results, it's the wins and the fights. It went very well. We're very happy and we want to expand further. We'll have it here soon.” [the UK] hoping. “
Why did Pique start the Kings League?
“There are several reasons for that,” the 37-year-old said.
“At the time, I was playing in Barcelona and doing various events with Ibai, the biggest streamer in Spain and Latin America.
“I was having dinner with him in a restaurant in Barcelona, and two kids came up to me and said, “Gerard, can you take a picture with me?'' I said yes. Then they saw Ibai and started screaming like crazy.
“The streamer puts out content six hours a day, has a lot of followers, and explains everything about his life perfectly. This means that all of his fans feel like they are friends. I mean, when I look at him, I feel like he's my friend.”
Pique, who is also the owner of FC Andorra in Spain's second division, continued: “The second reason is that I think the relationship between players and fans has become more distant in today's soccer world.''
“The players are more protected. The club doesn't allow them to do many interviews because they don't want them to be able to concentrate on their football or get headlines they don't want them to be told.”
“It's difficult for fans to get to know the players because they only talk after games and always say the same thing.
“There was no content about them and what we wanted was a product that was the exact opposite of that. Every player who plays in our league has a social media account and is constantly communicating with fans, presidents and coaches. They're becoming really famous. ”
To hear the full interview, including details about Pique's career, listen to the EuroLeague program on Wednesdays at 22:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
