Athletes Turn To The ePremier League To Keep Football Fever Alive Amidst The Pandemic
What is ePL?
The revolutionary giant in professional European football, the Premier League, joined hands with EA Sports for a virtual experience of the sport, namely the ePL. Currently, the League stands with a colossal following of 4.7 billion people, all who have flocked to this online tournament to keep the fanatism thriving.
Two players from all the Premier League teams will be flagged off on screen. The ePL will assert a hand-picked crew of the finest FIFA gamers on the planet. This includes F2Tekkz, the winner of the FIFA eWorld Cup which is hosted in February.
The players have fought hard since January to come to this position. They have advanced through rounds and live play-offs to represent the clubs.
When does it take place and where?
The Soccer fans who were longing for the return of the English Premier League have watched their sports models back in action this week. The ePL in a FIFA20 tournament commenced on the 5th of May, 2020.
The tournament was divided into two gaming device divisions, XBOX and Play Station4. Each club represented by two individuals played on the two devices respectively. The tournament, incomplete without its spectators was streamed on nbcsports.com and the official EPL website. The semi-finals and finals were televised on NBCSN in the United States and Sky Sports in the UK.
Who played this tournament?
Under regular circumstances, professional FIFA gamers battled for their positions to play this tournament. These include football enthusiasts as well as musicians, namely singers Josh Franceschi and Tom Grennan, who respectively took charge of Manchester United and Arsenal.
However, this year took an unfortunate turn of events with the English Premier League postponed until the pandemic tides over. The Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters announced that some of the EPL stars would put their FIFA skills to test as well. “We are aware of the importance of finding new ways to entertain fans at this time, and we’re excited to bring together a strong line-up of players for the ePremier League tournament,” said Masters in an interview. Some of these players included Wolves’ sharpshooter Diogo Jota and Liverpool’s assisting master Trent Alexander-Arnold.
What was the incentive for this tournament?
It is a clear factor under Sports Psychology that efficient action on the field comes from motivation and an awarding incentive. The traditional Premier League offers hefty prizes to the winning team. However, unlike most FIFA tournaments, the ePL had no prize pool for the players to strive for.
The winner would receive 850 FIFA global series points contributing to a chance to play in the FIFA eWorldCup. There is a philanthropic side to this tournament in light of the current global situation. The EPL players have themselves created a prize fund called the #PlayersTogether initiative to be donated to NHS. This created viewership incentive as well as a torchbearer for further such endeavours.
Highlights of the Tournament
The tournament has gone through a gripping weeks’ worth of matches, with aspiring FIFA gamers battling their way through the fixtures concluding into a final of 8 players. The quarter-finals took place on the 8th of May, 2020 with Leicester, Southampton, Burnley, Villa, Sheff Utd, Brighton, Norwich and Chelsea aiming to reach the last day.
After trouncing AFC Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson, the team Leicester City’s current midfielder Maddison will encounter Michael Obafemi, who is playing for Southampton.
Charlie Taylor will then strive to reach the semi-finals, just as his team-mate Dwight McNeil had done in the maiden ePL tournament when he tackles Keinan Davis.
Sheffield United’s defender Egan retrieved a phenomenal 4-3 win over MU fan and England cricketer Jofra Archer. He will come up against fellow Republic of Ireland international Connolly on Friday.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s Connolly eliminated the defending champions Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.
Chelsea defender Emerson will attempt to make on his last victory over Watford’s Andre Gray when he faces Norwich City right-back Max Aarons, who knocked out Tottenham Hotspur’s Sessegnon, in the quarter-final tie.
The semi-finals and final will conducted on Saturday. Once done, the winner of the second edition of the ePL Invitational will be crowned.
