Gerard Pique calls for two major rule changes as Barcelona legend tells fans to ‘understand where football is going’

GERARD PIQUE has called for two major rule changes in football as the Barca icon tells fans they to “understand where football is going.”

The 2010 World Cup winner surprised fans with his early retirement back in 2018 at the age of 35 – but will surprise them even more with his new plan for the game.

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Pique has spoke out on his thoughts about the future of football and says the game must adapt to the shortening attention spans of the younger generation.

His latest business venture the “Kings League” is a popular seven-a-side tournament where rules have been changed to make football faster and fun.

Games are made up of two rules changes – there are no draws and the match consists of 20-minutes halves.

Speaking on his reason to create the league the Barca legend said to the Times: “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.

“Football is entertainment, so it is not just competing with other sports. It competes with Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok. Everyone has limited time. Football for 90 minutes is not as exciting.”

Kings League attracts audience numbers in hundreds of thousands, with football legend such as Ronaldinho even featuring.

Fans tune into games not in person but online, via streaming platforms such as Twitch and TikTok.

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A World Cup will be held in Mexico in May and the plan is to launch a league in England next year.

Pique even admitted he does “not really” watch the full 90 minutes of football anymore.

He continued: “You need to understand where football is going, where entertainment is going, and mix them, so people are still attached to football.

“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.”

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