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Gerard Pique, who is very well acquainted to headline and controversial topics, was once again at the heart of another during his Twitch conversation with Ibai Llanos. He even admitted to enjoying being in them.
“It’s fun to see yourself in the papers” the now retired Barcelona defender said.
He spoke on a compass of topics in a lengthy interview that lasted around an hour and half, including Florentino Perez’s role in the Superleague and his sending off against Osasuna, which he believed the referee got wrong.
He did say he agreed with Perez on some of his points about the Superleague, right before admitting that football had to change to accommodate the easily distracted younger generation.
“You have to try to modify rules that have been established for many years and change them. I understand that it is difficult. It happens in all sports. You have to find a way to attract attention. I see that there is a lot of content on offer, not just sports. You have a few hours and you want to spend them getting as much information as possible. You have to create short and exciting products. Ninety minutes seems like a lot to me. Let’s look for rules that are more entertaining. My feeling is that the product of football is outdated.”
Pique made use of his son Milan as an example to this, saying his son loved football, but would rarely spend 90 minutes watching the game itself, but would rather use social media at the same time.
“It is much more difficult to attract the young public. We have to think about it. I would make very radical changes, but people would not have it.”
Pique also had suggestions for how extra time should be exhibited.
“Eleven against eleven, an extension of 30 minutes. Say that every three minutes a player from each team comes out, until there is a goal. Penalties are a buzz for me. Deciding a semi-final of a World Cup with penalties? It’s about creating that buzz. I understand that there are people who say, how am I going to shoot here and risk the future of the country, but I love it.”
Whether people are open to pique’s proposal or not, he is part of a growing group of football elites seeking reform in the barely ever changing sport.