The weekend behind us when it comes to gaming was spent simulating football. Namely, in cooperation with the Union of Electronic Sports of Montenegro and FSCG, qualifications were held for the competition that will be organized by UEFA under the title FC 24, and eight gamers competed. He won the title of the best, after several hours of playing Luka Manojlović, who has represented Montenegro in several competitions so far.
"I am proud that I will have the opportunity to represent Montenegro at the UEFA competition, eEuro 2024. Before the start of the qualifiers, from the previous tournaments and the strong competition from earlier, we could have expected that some of the standard names found at the finals of the tournament will eventually represent Montenegro . There were also those against whom I had the opportunity to play for the first time on Saturday, who provided excellent duels and the outcome could have been different", recounts Manojlović's impressions from the tournament and reveals whether there were any surprises at the tournament.
The entire competition was held online, and Manojlović showed that he can be equally dominant in online and online tournaments.
“Both formats, online and live tournaments, have their advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to online tournaments, the advantage is that you are in a familiar environment and you don't have the pressure of the presence of other opponents. However, this can take away from the charm of tournaments and the tension provided by the presence of an audience. Although online tournaments provide comfort and familiarity with the environment, abuses are possible, such as poor internet connection of opponents and playing under a false identity. However, with good organization and the will of the administrator, these problems can be solved. Because of the atmosphere, I personally prefer live tournaments," admits the gamer.
The rules for this tournament were clear. Namely, only adult gamers with Montenegrin citizenship could participate in the competition, and the players themselves reported to the organizers those who did not meet the requirements. However, in the end, as Manojlovic claims, everything was as it should be.
"The tournament had precisely defined rules that required players to be of legal age and possess a Montenegrin passport. However, there have been attempts to allow players under the age of 18 or those who hold passports from another country to participate. "Thanks to the responsible organization of the players' community and the administrators who were responsible for supervision, the tournament took place without problems and was fair," he said, referring to the aforementioned situation.
The competition on the virtual court started at 14 p.m., and Manojlović, as a finalist, had the opportunity to play for several hours. About how difficult it was to maintain the level of concentration, and therefore the game, and whether he is satisfied with all the matches played, he says:
"The tournament lasted approximately five hours, considering that the Double Elimination format (winner and loser part) was played, two games each between the opponents where the ratio of goals scored and conceded, and a golden goal in case of a draw in both matches. The matches were tense and each of them equally demanded a high level of concentration, considering that each goal has its own weight. As time went on you could feel that the players were losing concentration, but we managed to provide a great game until the very end. I am honestly satisfied with the matches I played".
Unlike the tournament in Bar that was held in October last year, in which Manojlović also participated and where FIFA23 was played, a new version - FC24 - was played at the UEFA qualifiers. Regarding how he likes her and whether he has gotten used to her, Manojlović answers:
"I'm still adjusting to the changes related to FC24, because it's quite different from the previous FIFA 23, which suited me much better in terms of play style. However, I feel that EA has made a quality football simulation with FC24 because it suits different styles of play," explained the gamer.
During the last year, much more space was given to the FIFA title through various competitions and tournaments. This particular game is much more popular in the world, while e-Football still holds the primacy here when it comes to football simulation. About how much the community has grown in recent FIFA titles, Manojlović says:
“In general, FC24 (formerly known as FIFA) is much more popular worldwide compared to e-Football, which is why UEFA decided to host this year's European Championship in FC24. In our country, however, there are still more fans of e-Football, but the community of FC24 players has progressed significantly over the past years. Many players have made significant progress on an individual level, and at tournaments we witness excellent duels between strong opponents. It is at such competitions, in the 1v1 and 2v2 format, that our community develops new and better players", Manojlović concludes with pride.
Pavićević is the best in e-Football
Lan tournaments in e-Football always gather a large community of this title in Podgorica. That was also the case on Saturday at the Gaming Hub, when Montenegrin representative Rade Pavićević celebrated in the final match against Marko Unkašević.
According to the winner, this tournament is a great prelude to everything that fans of this title can expect during the next month, which is the qualifying competition for the World Cup in Riyadh.
"Certainly this competition was a good prelude to a very important tournament planned for February, and unfortunately for me and probably for everyone who participated, not all of our strongest players were there. I doubt that they were saving themselves for the next tournament, because apart from fighting for that first place, we also socialize at these competitions, so probably various obligations had an effect on them not participating", Pavićević is sure.
In addition to already known opponents, there were also those who surprised him with their game at the tournament on Saturday.
"There were opponents who showed enviable quality, and with a little training they can seriously approach the level of the best players", points out Pavićević, and about how much better it is for him to prepare for tournaments due to knowing his opponents:
"As for the game itself, I look at myself the most and I always try to give my best. I don't look at my opponents that much".
While practicing for such tournaments, gamers mostly play online, while all major competitions are held online. That's why he considers such tournaments as an excellent opportunity to better prepare for big competitions.
"Such tournaments mean a lot to us players, because most of us play online, and in addition to the quality, the opponent's connection has a lot to do with it. That's why these offline tournaments mean a lot and I hope, like probably everyone, that there will be as many of them as possible in the future, because I saw at Saturday's tournament that the players are eager for it," reveals Pavićević.
Bonus video:
