Gerard Pique named two drastic rule changes he would make to football.
Since retiring from football in November 2022, Pique has gone on to spearhead several projects in the sport, including forming the Kings League, which combines Twitch streaming with five-a-side football.
Indeed, Pique has never shied away from exploring how to develop and better the game, and the former Barcelona star has made several bold proposals to retain the attention of younger audiences in football.
“One reason we created the Kings League is I saw my kids watching a football match and after ten minutes they were on their phones and their tablets and watching other things at the same time,” he told The Times.
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“Football is entertainment, so it is not just competing with other sports. It competes with Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, and TikTok. Everyone has limited time. Football for 90 minutes is not as exciting.”
When asked whether he watched full 90-minute matches, Pique admitted: “Not really. [I watched] Barca-Napoli, for example, an important game in the Champions League, but the 25th game in the league [season]? I don't watch them.
“Some of Barca, when I can, but not 90 minutes. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes. It's a trend, it's happening. It's unstoppable and you have to adapt.”
He then cited basketball and baseball when discussing how to further retain engagement in football.
Most sports across the US are unable to finish in a draw, with the games instead going to overtime to decide a winner. Pique suggested that removing draws from football could make the sport a more entertaining product.
He said: “Maybe there are no draws, why not? In baseball and basketball, there are no draws. You go to a game and it ends with a draw and the feeling is, ‘Who won?’
“Football is afraid of change. It has a huge history, it is very traditional, but change will happen, it has to happen. A 90-minute game that can finish 0-0 is difficult to understand for the new generation.”
Topics: Football, Gerard Pique
Chris Byfield