[84] Will the Kings League change football?

Berlin, 31 August 2024

The Kings League is an innovative tournament founded by Gerard Piquè in Spain which has Twitch as its main reference platform and owes its success to the presence of former footballers in various non-field roles, mixed with amateur footballers who take to the field in a 7-a-side football with innovative rules. In recent days I have asked myself whether this youth phenomenon could not also have effects on the football of the future? Football and finance dedicated an article to the KL regulation and the regulatory oddities, apparently appreciated by a young audience. In my opinion this goes along with a recent survey which highlights how the under 35s are asking for regulatory reforms in football itself, starting from the actual time (which exists for example in the KL). In the outro of Diary on Wednesday I mentioned the tournament invented by Gerard Piqué as a simulacrum of football: a success built on hype rather than on technical content, given that it is a tournament made up of footballers of an amateur technical level mixed with something else, which would not have the same success with the public if it were not promoted by the football personalities who invested in it .
And yet the KL can at the same time be a moment of disruption, capable of changing football precisely because the federal managers, seeing the numbers of this tournament, can convince themselves that some innovation would be necessary and successful. We can see the KL as piracy: it distracts time and fans from the classic path, but just as often happens with pirates, it ends up demonstrating that something is possible and successful, although outside the usual circuits, convincing the institutions that a change is necessary. And so the first step could be the introduction of effective time, even if at the same time many extreme ideas could be rejected, while others could be adapted. An example? The reduction of players on the pitch seen in Piqué’s tournament could become a formula for revolutionizing extra time and making it more open: the coaches recall one player each every few minutes, modifying the tactical structure until one team wins, perhaps with golden goal after 120′. Obviously this is just a fanciful idea, but when pirates prove that something is successful, anything is possible, as Justin Timberlake says in the film The Social Network talking about the “Napster pirates” and the subsequent evolution of online music.

This week. On Fubolitix I talked about:

• The 2024 budget of Spalletti’s Italy. It was the year of disaster at the European Championships in Germany, but also of a newfound unity at the Nations League, which ended with a significant defeat against France which tells us exactly who we are.

• Is the Saudi wave in sports already ending? In recent days, the announcement of a cut in foreign investments was a small sign of a greater malaise: the oil bills don’t add up, debt is growing and the unflattering signs are growing.

• Does amateur football have no memory? On the one hand it is told with methods outdated by the times, on the other its protagonists experience it as a personal immersive parenthesis, without much awareness of the context.

• Inter budget, the mystery remains regarding the exit of LionRock. The consolidation approved in recent days did not fill the time gaps that emerged after the change of ownership at the end of May. Doubts remain regarding the change of hands of 31.05% of the shares.

Away from X. Sportspromedia he wonders if there will be a real transfer from X to Bluesky capable of making the latter the main destination for sports content. It’s too early to say, of course, but what seems most interesting to me when analyzing the current wave is that it’s not the first time that this has happened in general (the previous one mainly saw Mastodon as the destination) but it’s the first time that this has happened subsequently to a political fact (the election of Donald Trump) and not due to growing technological doubts as was the case previously, when the layoffs and restructurings suffered by the former Twitter visibly worsened the service. Meanwhile several clubs are leaving, such as the Werder Brema after St Pauli, who confirms what I say given that in explaining his choice he criticized the increase in hate speech, extremist content and conspiracy theories, as well as the lack of transparency and its political use.

The war of the calendars. FIFPROthe global footballers’ union, presented a report accusing FIFA of violating European labor laws. The study, carried out by KU Leuven University, criticizes expanded football calendars, such as the Club World Cup, for failing to meet health and safety standards, causing excessive workloads for players. FIFPRO claims FIFA does not adequately consult players and ignores collective agreements, creating conditions that threaten their well-being. This report was added to the legal case already underway in the EU courts.

Rugby like Formula One. A new global rugby league will launch in 2026 with eight men’s franchises and one women’s competition. Each festival-style event will include concerts and entertainment, inspired by Formula 1. Funded by Anglo-American investors, the league aims to revolutionize rugbyincreasing players’ wages (around £700,000) and attracting new fans. The initiative involves a shorter calendar and an innovative commercial model, but it remains to be seen how the national federations and World Rugby, already concerned about the economic sustainability of the sport, will react.

Softpower cinese. After the flop in the world of football, an opportunity to strengthen Chinese softpower in sport could come from engines. He talks about it GeoSportthe Substack page curated among others by prof. Simon Chadwick. The Formula Electric, a zero-emission single-seater championship, can represent an opportunity for the country to strengthen its international sporting profile. BYD’s possible entry into this competition could not only increase China’s visibility in motorsport, but also contribute to a rebalancing of global power in this sphere. With the growing use of EVs in the country, electric motorsport could become a mainstay of Chinese popular culture. BYD has overtaken Tesla as the largest global manufacturer and a domestic market that could reach a value of $674.27 billion by 2029. With monthly sales of around one million EVs and a growing role in sustainability, China is not only redefining the industrial panorama but also looks at electric motorsport as a strategic tool.

Tyson he will sport his Netflix. I have to make an admission: I always thought that Netflix would never be able to broadcast live sport, which is so different in terms of enjoyment from its core business, and instead this thing is happening progressively and with growing success. In recent days, Netflix announced that the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson set a new streaming record for a live sporting event, with a peak of 65 million concurrent viewers and 108 million global viewers. However, the data is based on unverified internal metrics. This success contributed to the increase in the value of Netflix shares, which rose by 3%, leading to an annual increase of more than 86%. The event underlines the growing influence of the platform in sports streaming and is placing emphasis on the spectacularization of sport rather than on the sport itself (a topic that I have transversally addressed in “The end of sports journalism as we have known it“). Now Netflix is ​​preparing for the next two events: the broadcast of two NFL games scheduled for the day of NataleKansas City Chiefs contro Pittsburgh Steelers e Baltimore Ravens contro Houston Texans.

Meanwhile the Saudis… Always up Geosport Prof Chadwick talks about his interest in cricket. The annual Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24-25, highlighting the country’s growing interest in cricket. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF), already active in other sports, could invest in cricket, in line with its strategy of acquiring emerging global assets (despite recent doubts related to the growth and sustainability of the projects). Links with Reliance Industries, owner of IPL franchises, strengthen this possibility. The event highlights the potential involvement of Saudi Arabia and the Ambani family in cementing their role in global cricket and sports media.

Apple and video analysis. Apple continues to grow its offerings to transform sports with performance technology. The expansion of Apple in the world of sport it has embraced media rights, sponsorships and dedicated apps. It now supplies iPads to sports teams looking to gain an advantage on the field through live video analytics.

“He who only knows about football knows nothing about football” is one of the overused quotes from José Mourinho that can be read almost everywhere but which ends up fitting perfectly with what the Saturday edition of Fubolitix has become. This newsletter comes out every day from Tuesday to Saturday and is acquiring an increasingly defined structure.

• I saw them so is the Tuesday appointment which tells the story of the championship day (and which doubles on Friday when the Champions League is played);

• Diary is the Wednesday and Thursday appointment on the hot topics of sports politics and economics (and replaces I saw them like this when you’re not playing)

• on Saturday instead Fubolitix offers you an overview of all sports besides football, trying to grasp trends and projects on and off the pitch.

Let me know what you think in the comments if you want.