As the world goes into lockdown, it’s certainly been a difficult situation to digest for football fans and players alike. We’re used to weekly matches, an escape into a world where nothing matters beyond getting the ball into the back of the net—and to have it all abruptly taken away has been painful to say the least. But if you’re suffering from withdrawal, it turns out that there is a virtual ePL starting today.
The ePremier League Invitational tournament involves all 20 Premier League clubs, with representatives including famous fans and players themselves. Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko will face Christian Atsu of Newcastle United, while Raheem Sterling will represent Manchester City against Wilfried Zaha for Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, musician Tom Grennan will face Trent Alexander-Arnold in a Manchester United vs Liverpool grudge match.
The Premier League—along with most major European leagues—is currently on a hiatus. There hasn’t been a concrete date set for the league to resume, with some even suggesting that the season could be declared null and void. Other alternatives include organising matches with strict preventive measures in place, within empty stadiums.
Still, we’re not likely to see Premier League action in the short term; this might offer temporary respite of sorts. The knockout style tournament is being played on the FIFA 20 title by EA Sports, and all prize monies will be donated to the #PlayersTogether initiative to help the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.
This isn’t the first time we’re seeing professional athletes resort to eSports to continue to compete against their peers. Formula 1 has been organising Virtual Grand Prix races on the official game, while there have also been NHL 2020 hockey matches. With many regions around the world now in lockdown, it’s also a natural step—FIFA 20 is a hugely, hugely popular title on various gaming platforms.
The virtual leagues don’t replace the actual league matches—instead, they offer a way for the huge, global fan base to stay connected with the sports world. If you’re interested, the ePremier League Invitiational tournament will have four matches everyday between 7pm and 11pm in Malaysian time.
All matches will be broadcast on the Premier League’s official website and app, along with YouTube, Facebook and Twitter platforms. The semi-finals and final will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK on the 25th April. For the full list of upcoming matches, click here.
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