Pique advocates for changes: You can't watch football in the living room, we have to do it like the Americans

He may seem a genius to some, irritating to others, but whatever Gerard Pique is, he is, above all, a man with integrity. Or obstinate to those who do not like him. It depends on the angle of observation, and also the fans' preferences.

One thing cannot be disputed with him - he has a 'nose' for business. He created the Kings League, a competition that attracts more and more attention and brings him money, but after the end of his playing career, he does not want to stop there, but proposes changes. In sports in general, football in particular, especially on the territory of Spain.

All in order for football, as a global sport, to follow trends.

"Young people are used to different speeds and rhythms. They are able to watch several screens at the same time and use social networks to stay informed. In order to have all the information, it makes no sense for them to sit in a room for 90 minutes and watch the game. In the 1990s, there was no other content, no choice. The way content is consumed has changed, although this does not mean that football has lost its appeal", Pique points out during a guest appearance at the Business and Sport forum, organized by Marca.

With these words, the former Barcelona sweeper reminds us of the rhetoric of Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid, who has long advocated the establishment of the European Super League and justifies this with the belief that young people will not watch, for example, the match between Almeria and Sociedad, but they want derbies between the most popular continental clubs on a regular.

"If there is a European competition, and the clubs in it are not governed by the same rules, then the Spanish have to go into debt to be able to compete with the others. The United States of America has a great advantage over our continent, because that's how they started managing competitions. In fact, they are born that way. In Europe, all participants should come together to reach a common agreement, and that is very difficult."

And that's why the longtime captain of La Furia Roja takes his hat off to the Americans. Basically, more fun - more money.

"I prefer American sports, which try to entertain the consumer more. And from a business point of view. It is in the hands of the athletes, the state... The franchises are protected, as so are the players, they know what they will earn, because there is a salary limit. In Europe, each league is organized differently. There is no strict regulation regarding Financial Fair Play. So you can't compete with state governed clubs. We are moving towards the point where no club in Spain will be able to compete. If all this is not regulated, we will not all compete according to the same rules."

Barcelona want to sign Cancelo next year

He may be right, but it won't be the case that Pique talked like this when his Barcelona spent huge amounts of money to keep Lionel Messi or bring in expensive reinforcements, and even gave Gerard himself around 20,000,000 euros per season. Although, times are changing. And people...

"It is clear to me that Barcelona and Real Madrid are trying to show with the Super League that this situation cannot continue. FC Andorra will not be seen by more people if they reach La Liga status. If they succeed, they will get 50,000,000 or 60,000,000 euros, while Real and Barcelona will get 140,000,000 and have infinitely more fans than Andorra. The distribution is very similar and in the long run all the 'big guys' in Europe want this to change. Superliga is a closed league. I'm against it too. There are many who would be excluded, the values of teams like Betis, Aston Villa or Roma would become zero. Then you lose their fans, whose massiveness is brutal. Those clubs would almost certainly be destined to go out of business. By reducing your competition calendar, you can compete more and better. I am against the Superliga, but the calendar must be reduced. It is not necessary to have 20 teams in one league. Even with 12 teams, the Spanish Championship would be just as powerful. Therefore, a fairer distribution would be more reasonable. Thus, without Barca and Madrid, Andorra would be worth zero. The cake is not well distributed."

If that is already the case, what is the solution, many will ask. Pique offers it.

"Sport is moving towards shorter and more specialized competitions. Like they do in the United States with the NFL. There are four months of competition and then the Super Bowl. And then the whole country is paralyzed. There are 1,000 competitions here and then people get bored or confused, they don't know what they are watching anymore. Sports must go towards entertainment. An individual has a few hours to entertain himself. Football is competing not only against other sports but also against social networks and platforms like Netflix. It's obvious that football competes with everyone," Gerard Pique concluded.

LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 15

Friday

23:00: (2.45) Las Palmas (3.15) Getafe (3.30)

Saturday

16:00: (1.75) Girona (3.60) Valencia (4.90)

18:15: (1.60) Ath.Bilbao (3.90) Rayo Vallecano (6.00)

20:30: (1.17) Real Madrid (8.00) Granada (14.0)

23:00: (3.40) Osasuna (3.30) Sociedad (2.35)

Sunday

16:00: (2.45) Mallorca (3.15) Alaves (3.30)

18:15: (3.35) Almeria (3.45) Betis (2.15)

20:30: (2.25) Sevilla (3.50) Villareal (3.35)

23:00: (2.00) Barcelona (3.60) Atl.Madrid (4.00)

***odds are subject to change***