Juventus FC chairman believes esports could be a threat to football

Juventus F.C. is one of the most popular football clubs in the world, and they've found a rival in esports. 

Juventus F.C. chairman and head of the European Clubs Association, Andreas Agnelli has reportedly stated that Fortnite is the biggest threat to football for the next two decades. He said more on the topic, stating: "When you look at supporters now, the bulk of fans are Generation X, millennials, or those in Generation Z, who are turning adult now. So you have to look at Generation Z and think that competitors of the game are esports and Fortnite. They will be competitors going forward."

His sentiment is shared with Liverpool F.C. CEO, Peter Moore who also singled out the battle royale game as a major threat to football. He said: "Ninety minutes is a long time for a millennial male to sit down on a couch. When I look at viewing and attendance figures of millennial males, I'm concerned as a chief executive of a football club that relies on the next generation of fans coming through. If we don't build technological prowess as a club, we will lose them. There's so much pressure on time now and only 24 hours in a day... there are only so many hours to play Fortnite."

Many football stars, both active and retired have taken a vested interest in esports and gaming. Mesut Ozil created M10 eSports in 2018 and Ronaldo "Ronaldinho" de Assis Moreira has not only created the eLigaSul but also plans to form another esports organization to compete in FIFA. Bernd Leno is probably the most recent, as he created his own organization in September called Leno e-sports. 

Football clubs have tried to remain relevant by creating esports teams of their own. However, they still need to devise a means of making sure that the next generation of fans are just as willing to watch a live football match as they are a game of Fortnite. The problem is echoed across all traditional sports and could become a major issue even sooner than expected.