Sixty-nine days. This is how much time the influencer Amine, known under the pseudonym AmineMaTue, has to put together the team that will represent France at the Kings World Cup, the global 7-a-side football competition with a very original format organized by Piqué this summer , in Mexico. “Two months, casually, it goes by very quickly,” realizes the videographer, his broad smile buried in a black cap despite the mildness of the end of March. It’s tomorrow… I won’t have time to breathe. »
Not unusual for this Ile-de-France resident, who will celebrate his 30th birthday next July and who continues projects with intact creativity. On the French-speaking map of social networks for more than ten years, the one who first made himself known on Twitter took on another dimension from 2020, and his arrival on Twitch, where he quickly moved on between live gaming and large-scale projects around football.
First of all, choose a staff
In 2021, he notably created the “Five Club”, a five-a-side football tournament which brought together influencers and which culminated in 2023 with the organization of a gala which brought together big names in football, including Zinédine Zidane . The year before, he had set the audience record on Twitch with the Eleven All Stars, a match between French and Spanish streamers which brought together nearly a million viewers.
But let those who saw his exploits on the field that day rest assured: Amine should not set foot on the pitch in Mexico. His role as president of the French team for the Kings World Cup is that of a coach who has been stripped of tactical prerogatives. His role: to bring together the 12 players and the technical staff who will be able to bring the cup home.
“The staff and the coach are also the ones who will do all the work,” he assures. They will help me select the right team and put it in motion. They have more legitimacy on footballing and tactical choices. I’m only here to represent, after that it’s no longer my job (laughs). »
Thousands of applications, the dreams of Internet users and the impossibility Gignac
But then, how will the 12 players be selected? Two will be personal choices of the president, who has the right “to take anyone, even if he has no football talent,” he laughs. For the other 10, a platform has already been set up to apply, and is open to everyone on the sole condition of being at least 18 years old and able to travel to Mexico.
This “preselection”, open until March 24 at 11:59 p.m., will then produce an expanded list of 50 names who will pass tests, and which will then be reduced to a final group of 10 players, to which will be added the two choices of ‘Amine. “We’ve already had thousands of applications, it’s pretty crazy: there are former professional players, active players without a contract, personalities… There’s really everything. From what I’ve already seen, there are some crazy people who want to play. It will be fun to see the selections over time and create a story until the start of the competition. »
“I like this interactivity system that we can have on Twitch and it’s interesting to keep this thing until the end. It allows and makes people want to be invested in the project”
Amine
On the internet, Amine’s millions of followers (2.5M on Twitch, 2.3 on X, 1 on Instagram) are already starting to dream of who could be part of the team. Names of players or illustrious veterans, from Hatem Ben Arfa to Zinédine Zidane, with whom Amine has already collaborated on several occasions, already make them dream. For this competition in Mexico, he even admits to having thought of André-Pierre Gignac, idol there, but under contract with the Tigers. “It’s dead, otherwise we would have taken it straight!” »
But then, does he already have his own idea? “To be honest, I don’t know (laughs). We’ll see. The goal is to take people who can help us win, who have everything to also represent this team. You have to have an aura and a good image to be one of these players. I’m not sure yet, it will be hard. There will be pressure, I speak with a lot of people, a lot of people would like to go. I don’t want to make a choice to please, the goal is to represent France and make everyone proud. The Spaniards are favorites, they already have ten teams and they have been practicing the format for a long time. I have two months to prepare! We will do everything to, we have monsters in France! »
WE NEED TO DEFINE THE TEAM NAME TOGETHER! ⚽️🇫🇷
I WILL CHOOSE FROM THE 3 SERIOUS PROPOSALS WHICH WILL HAVE THE MOST LIKES.
No trolling, political or off-topic messages that have nothing to do with the concept THANK YOU https://t.co/rtVFGOPygJ
— Amine 😞🌧 (@AmineMaTue) March 19, 2024
Whatever happens, he hopes to be able to count on his community in this short process, but also for the choices of the team name – which will be chosen on Sunday – the logo and the jersey. “I like this interactivity system that we can have on Twitch and it’s interesting to keep this thing until the end,” admits Amine. It’s also something different that you couldn’t see elsewhere, in classic formats or in other sports, it allows and makes people want to be invested in the project. » A small consolation prize for those who will not have the chance to be part of the adventure.
