AS Roma partner with Fnatic to enter esports via FIFA

Italian Serie A football team, AS Roma, announced today, 14th February, that they have entered esports.

AS ROMA
The three FIFA players at their signing with AS Roma.

Roma enter esports in a similar vein to how a lot of other European football teams have done it, by entering into the FIFA scene. The historic Serie A side currently sit second in their league.

The players selected come from three different countries. 22 year old Aman “Aman” Seddiqi, from Atlanta in the USA, is considered one of the best in North America. 21 year old Italian Nicoló “Insa” Mirra is the most successful competitive player in Italian FIFA over the past few years. Finally, there’s 17 year old Sam “Poacher” Carmody from Exeter, England, who finished in the top 16 at the recent ESWC.

The announcement, on AS Roma’s website, announces they have partnered with London based esports organisation, Fnatic. The partnership will mean that Fnatic will “offer support for training, events and provide all esports-related logistical knowledge to nurture the club’s players.”

Wouter Sleijffers, CEO of Fnatic said of the announcement: “FIFA’s entry into the world of Esports has received the attention of both established football clubs and esports organisations. Fnatic is excited to enter this rising Esports game with AS Roma, one of the most iconic clubs in football with a long and successful history.

“We’re thrilled and honoured to work alongside AS Roma by helping the club take its first steps into a new, digital chapter in its rich and storied legacy. Whether on the grass or in-game, we share the same ambition: to be the best.”

Jim Pallotta, President of AS Roma added: “As one of the most digitally-connected sports teams in the world, we’ve strived to create an organisation at Roma that engages our fans through all digital channels. With the tremendous growth of Esports and continued attention placed on games like FIFA, we’ve partnered with Fnatic, the world’s leading Esports organisation, to launch our Esports team. This joint venture will enable us to start building a strong legacy in Esports and engage our fans in exciting new ways.”

Esports Insider: The Italians are coming. Roma partnering with Fnatic would appear to be the smart move, in lending their name and leaving the inner workings to the established esports organisation. FIFA seems to be one of the bigger growth areas in esports in recent times, and the Italians join a long list of teams alongside Manchester City, Valencia, PSG, and many more.