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Football Fans Throw Controllers On Pitch In E-Sports Protest
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In an attempt to prevent eSports from being introduced to their club, fans at Young Boys, a Swiss football team, threw controllers and tennis balls onto the pitch during a match.
The referee was forced to pause the fixture between Young Boys and Basel - a team already experimenting with eSports - until everything was picked up.
A massive pause button banner, carried by people in the stands, managed to find its way round the stadium - even in the away end, where some Basel fans were obviously not happy about eSports, too.
Young Boys ultras threw tennis balls and PS4 controllers on the pitch during game against Basel to protest eSports pic.twitter.com/N402uKyjLt
- Hipcat (@ScottSlocombe) September 24, 2018
At the time of writing this article, Young Boys aren't yet involved in eSports, but it will be interesting to see if this protest actually worked [via EuroGamer]. At least it didn't disrupt their side - they won 7-1.
Delving into the virtual side of the beautiful game seems to be coming quite popular with football teams. The likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and West Ham have all experimented with professional FIFA players.
Said players wear replica club shirts and travel the world competing at various tournaments, but why Young Boys's "Ultras" don't want their team involved is beyond me.
@LeParisienSport @lequipe #EDS #EDE
jets de balles de tennis:no_mouth: du kop des deux clubs sur le terrain lors du match de football Young-Boys-FC Bâle pour protester contre les eSport
...puis pluie de buts, jaunes aussi, 7-1 pour les Bernois, symbole de la passation de l'an dernier:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: pic.twitter.com/EdbFJSlXwy
- Meylan Jean-Pierre (@LuiGrenat) September 23, 2018
Yes, their actual team gets more funding, but opening the doors to eSports is a great way of promoting their club and getting people interested in football, Young Boys in particular.
I guess we'll just have to wait to find out whether the Swiss team hires a pro FIFA player, although I don't want to imagine what will be thrown of the pitch if they do...
Featured Image Credit: RTS Sports
Topics: Entertainment, Technology, Protest
