Javier Thebes says Piqué’s project is “commendable” but is far from competing with great sports in terms of the public
Javier Thebes, president of, stated that he does not consider Kings League as competitor of professional football. The statement was made on Friday (06.jun.2025) during the Sports Convention of ISDE (Derecho Y Economia Higher Institute) in Madrid. The leader minimized the impact of the competition created by former defender Gerard Piqué.
“I don’t see Kings League or the rearview mirror”said Thebes during the event. “I think it’s far away. It’s a very commendable project, but it’s not a project that can compete with the great premium sports in terms of audiences or followers. It is based on the world of youtubers mixed with veteran players and a sports phenomenon, nothing more”he said.
A Piqué was created in 2022 in Spain and later expanded its operations to other countries, including Italy, France, Germany, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. The format combines elements of entertainment with football, bringing together professional players, former athletes and digital influencers. Competition awards can reach $ 1 million.
The president of Laliga recognized the expressive beginning of Kings League, but questioned his evolution. “To compare with football, we would have to look closely at the newspaper files when the project started, when it had a very significant boom, and what it is today. But they are doing well, they work, they are growing, but they are not a substitute for Laliga. Football is still the king of sports, will remain while not doing nonsense.”he declared.
Thebes manages the 1st Division of Spanish football, while Piqué launched Kings League after ending his career as a Barcelona player. The convention where Thebes made its statements took place in the Spanish capital, a city that houses important clubs such as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish leader presented data on the national championship. Laliga recorded approximately 19 million viewers in its categories. The growth was more expressive among the young and female audiences.
“They said that the interest among the young people had diminished. We broke up stadium records, reaching nearly 19 million viewers in both categories, and where we grew up was among young people and women. I’m worried about young people, but I am also concerned about the elders, because, according to one report, the elders had problems with new technologies to watch live sports.”he said.
