Neymar Jr announced as FURIA Kings League President

Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr has been appointed as the President of FURIA‘s Kings League Brazil team.

According to the esports organisation, the footballer will be involved in the seven-a-side football league by building a team and participating in the President’s Penalty.

Neymar Jr will begin his presidency by building FURIA’s team of players during the draft stage of Kings League Brazil.

Originally founded in Spain in 2022, Kings League is a seven-a-side football league franchise established by former professional player Gerard Piqué and popular Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos. Since its creation, the league has expanded into other markets such as Italy and Brazil.

The Kings League Brazil competition is set to take place between March and April in São Paulo with FURIA being one of several teams with links to esports.

Alongside FURIA, Brazilian esports organisations Fluxo and LOUD are also fielding teams in Kings League in addition to G3X FC, a team whose President is Brazilian content creator Alexandre ‘Gaules’ Borba Chiqueta.

Teams will consist of 13 players with 10 being selected through the draft where participating teams select players that will represent organisations throughout the season.

“Everyone who follows me knows the affection and identification I have had for FURIA since day zero,” noted Neymar Jr.

“For me, it’s a huge joy to be able to participate more actively now, even if it’s behind the scenes. Whenever the calendar allows it, I want to be there. I am sure that with the team that is being assembled, we will always be well represented in all the games.”

In addition to being involved with the formation of FURIA’s team, Neymar Jr will also participate in the President’s Penalty.

The President’s Penalty is a rule teams have the option to trigger during matches. Once triggered, the President of that team takes a penalty kick to score a goal.

Neymar Jr is no stranger to the world of esports. During his time as a player for Saudi Arabian football club Al Hilal, the footballer participated in showmatches at the 2024 Esports World Cup. He has also attended Counter-Strike events in Brazil to support FURIA.