(Reuters) – A month-long online soccer gaming tournament organised by French champions Paris St Germain will be televised around the world to entertain fans stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, broadcaster beIN Media Group said.
The competition, which starts on Wednesday, will take place every week and PSG players Julian Draxler, Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa are among those who will compete, along with professional gamer Lucas ‘DaXe’ Cuillerier.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chairman of beIN Media Group is also the PSG President, and the competition will be televised in the United States, France, Asia-Pacific, and 24 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
“With the coronavirus pandemic meaning that live physical sport is temporarily on hold in most countries, we anticipate strong viewing figures from gaming competitions like this one,” Florent Houzot, beIN’s France Programs and On-Air Director, said.
The group said in a statement that the online competition received 1,400 applications from 66 different countries within 12 hours of its launch on Friday.
Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Richard Pullin